<p><?tk 3?>Bamboo holds enormous potential as a sustainable alternative to traditional geosynthetic materials, which are used as construction materials to stabilize slopes and strengthen subgrades. Bamboo is suitable for soil reinforcement due to its affordability, high tensile strength, easy availability, and environmental friendliness. This review synthesizes existing knowledge on the performance of bamboo materials (bamboo grid, bamboo pole, bamboo mat, bamboo basket, bamboo strips, bamboo piles, and bamboo cell) upon various soil types (clay, peat, loess, sand, marine soil, etc.) and loading scenarios. It also highlights how the soil responds to bamboo-based reinforcement in terms of some important characteristics, such as bearing capacity, settlement, shear strength, CBR strength, and consolidation properties. Additionally, the review discusses the mechanical characteristics of bamboo and bamboo composite reinforcement, including tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, compressive strength, and bond strength. As bamboo is biodegradable, its durability is low, and several treatment techniques are required to enhance durability. Hence, this study offers actionable insights for improving durability by using some major treatments, such as thermal and chemical ones, and compares the mechanical properties of bamboo between untreated and treated conditions. While these treatments have been applied in other industries to improve bamboo durability, their application in bamboo-based soil reinforcement has not yet been explored, presenting a potential direction for future research.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>