The management of solid waste continues to be a leading challenge in developing country like Malaysia. Rapid urbanization and industrialization has changed the characteristics of solid waste generated. Typically, leachate represents the water which passes through the waste from precipitation from the waste within the landfill site, resulting in a liquid containing suspended solid and soluble components of the waste from the degradation of the waste by macro-organisms. In common observation, leachate migrates through the pores available within the mass and drains away in drainage layer. To date, knowledge on the development and use of activated carbon from fruit waste such as durian peel for leachate treatment has not been established and documented yet. Therefore, the ability of durian peel-based activated carbon was tested for the removal of COD and colour from semi-aerobic landfill leachate by adsorption process. Optimum variable conditions were determined using response surface method. The removal pattern of the leachate were investigated by batch adsorption test. Isotherm and kinetic model were employed to determine the adsorption characteristic of the prepared sample.