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With the advancement of industrial development and urbanization, the indiscriminate discharge of industrial pollutants and wastes containing heavy metals and precious metals poses a significant threat to human health and ecosystems. Despite the widespread use of several traditional therapeutic procedures, these treatments frequently exhibit low efficacy and significant environmental consequences. The extraction and reuse of metal resources in pollutant treatment can effectively alleviate the current resource crisis; however, achieving a balance between recovery efficiency and environmental impact during the extraction process remains a major challenge. To tackle these challenges, emerging treatment materials along with advancements in thermal/photo/electrochemical methods offer additional possibilities for efficiently remediating/mineralizing heavy/precious metal pollution. This paper introduces traditional techniques for treating precious and heavy metals from water and soil while discussing the prospects of new treatment materials as well as effective thermal/photo/electrochemical methods for removing such metals. Furthermore, various strategies for recovering metals from municipal waste and wastewater containing heavy/precious metal are discussed, emphasizing sustainable approaches to enhance recycling performance. • The efficient utilization of heavy/precious metals is crucial for addressing pollution control. • Recent advances in new materials and technologies for the treatment of heavy/precious metal contaminants are evaluated. • Comprehensive evaluation of recycling strategies for various types of heavy/precious metal waste pollutants. • Challenges and prospects associated with the treatment of heavy/precious metal waste pollutants are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]