A resource utilization method of waste sludge is present by the synthesis of waste sludge templated TiO2 photocatalysts. The organic materials in waste sludge are used as the pore-forming agents, and the transition metals included in the remaining waste sludge through calcination (WSC) can serve as the dopants for the WSC-TiO2 (WSCT) photocatalyst. The visible and UV-visible light driven photocatalytic activities of WSCT are much better compared to those of pure TiO2 and WSC, and it is originated from the higher light absorption property and the efficient electron-hole pair separation provided by waste sludge. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.