The synthesis of heterogeneous catalysts from waste materials has become increasingly popular over the past two decades. Among them, Ca-based catalysts have widely been tested in the transesterification reaction because of their relatively high catalytic activity and the large amount of feedstock (calcium rich waste materials) available. Those Ca-based catalysts can be simply prepared via the high temperature calcination and using these waste materials to generate the catalyst in addition to the target product makes the system more cost effective and environmentally friendly. This review presents general information related to the recent progress in the development of various Ca-based catalysts derived from waste materials for biodiesel production. The materials described include eggshells, mollusk shells, bones, large-scale industrial wastes and so on. Meanwhile, based on this collection of data and information, the catalytic activity mechanism, future challenges and prospects of renewable resources derived catalysts are also discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.