The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of natural wastes (lemon peel) as an adsorbent for the removal of Basic Fuchsine (BF) and Eosin (E) dyes from effluents. Lemon peel was used in inactivated (IALP) and activated (ALP) forms. Both were characterized using FTIR and SEM analysis. The lemon peel was washed, treated with H3PO4 and then heated to 120oC. Parameters like pH, adsorbent dose and size, initial dye concentration, contact time and temperature were studied. A pseudo-second-order kinetic model provides the best fit to the experimental data according to R2 values. The maximum adsorption capacities were 1.5133, 1.8142 mg.g−1 for BF adsorption, and 1.2393, 1.5974 mg.g−1 for E adsorption, onto IALP and ALP respectively according to pseudo-second-order kinetic model. This indicates the formation of dyes monolayer onto lemon peel surface. Maximum adsorption capacities were calculated from Langmuir model to be 3.0731, 3.3190 mg.g−1 for BF adsorption, and 3.1646, 4.0388 mg.g−1 for E adsorption onto IALP and ALP respectively. The values of RL according to Langmuir model and n according to Freundlich model indicate that the adsorbate is favorably adsorbed on the adsorbent. The mean free energy per molecule of adsorbate E was ranging from 0.1291 to 5.00 kJ·mol-1 which indicates that the adsorption is controlled by physical process. The activation parameters (∆Go, ∆Ho, ∆So) were calculated. The adsorption was endothermic, and spontaneous with a high preference of dyes onto IALP and ALP.