This review discusses how microbes can help clean up heavy metals from industrial wastewater. Microbes can adapt to live in metal-contaminated environments and help remove pollutants. In-situ bioremediation, using microbes on-site, is a cost-effective method for cleaning up toxic metals. The success of this method depends on the type of pollutants, the selection of microbial species, and the availability of metals for uptake. This review provides new ways to evaluate the effectiveness of using microbes for cleaning up pollutants.