Faecal sludge (FS) management presents an increasing challenge in the global south, demanding innovative approaches for effective dewatering and sustainable resource recovery. Geotextiles, with their compact structure, ease of installation, and effective dewatering capabilities, are environmentally friendly solutions for FS dewatering and resource recovery. However, a comprehensive review of geotextiles’ use in FS dewatering is lacking, presenting challenges to understanding their utility and potential scale. Our paper examines and discusses the suitability of various geotextiles in dewatering FS, contaminant removal efficiency, underlying mechanisms, and end uses of resulting biosolids and filtrate. Only a few studies have investigated using geotextiles for FS treatment, revealing that with synthetic conditioners, geotextiles achieve high dewatering and filtration efficiencies (> 35%). FS moisture content, geotextile apparent opening size (AOS), and permittivity influence filtration and dewatering efficiencies; higher moisture content reduces filtration efficiency and increases dewatering efficiency. At the optimal moisture content, the filtration efficiency equals dewatering efficiency. Woven geotextiles have higher tensile strength (36–201.4 KN/m) than non-woven geotextiles (~ 50 KN/m), making them more suitable for dewatering large volumes of FS. The steps involved in the dewatering process include filtration, consolidation, biofilm formation, and clogging. Future research in FS dewatering with geotextiles includes exploring the use of bioengineered microorganisms for bio-flocculation of FS, understanding the dynamics of biofilm formation during dewatering, and hydrogen production from dewatered FS. The insights from this review aim to promote broader adoption of FS dewatering using geotextiles, especially in resource-scarce and space-limited settings.