The article presents a characterization of two tannery plants located in Poland in the context of processes related to leather tanning and wastewater management. It highlights the difficulties associated with the large volume of wastewater generated as a result of various technological operations using diverse chemical agents. A particular challenge is posed by chromium-containing wastewater, which requires separate collection and specialized treatment due to its high chromium content. Such streams should not be combined with general facility wastewater. The article also presents the results of wastewater studies from different tannery plants, showing differences in the composition of general wastewater as well as wastewater generated directly after soaking, liming, deliming, and tanning processes. Chromium concentration in post-tanning baths exceeded 2000 mg/dm3 in both plants, far above legal emission limits, highlighting the need for chromium recovery solutions.