The continuous discharge of wastewater from various industries significantly pollutes the environment and disrupts ecological balance. Simultaneously, vast quantities of industrial solid waste such as waste foundry sand (WFS), red mud (RM), and quarry waste (QW) are frequently disposed of in landfills. This study explores the utilization of industrial solid wastes (WFS, RM, and QW) as alternative sand filter media in sand filtration for the treatment of industrial dye effluents. The efficiency of these materials as filter media was evaluated both individually and in equal-proportion combinations, with performance compared against conventional river sand filters. The characteristics of the treated effluent were analysed its physicochemical properties and its dye adsorption efficiency assessed using UV–visible spectroscopy. The combination of WFS, RM, and QW as filter media demonstrated significant dye removal efficiency, with WFS showing the highest performance, followed by RM and QW, achieving an overall dye removal efficiency of up to 95.98 %. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into sustainable waste resource utilization, offering a promising approach for improving wastewater treatment efficiency.