The invention discloses a method for preparing a quaternary ammonium salt cationic absorbing agent by using manioc straw/ manioc waste. The method comprises that ground manioc straw and manioc waste are preprocessed by using alkali, N,N-dimethylformamide serves as a reaction medium, quadrol serves as a cross-linking agent, the manioc straw, the manioc waste and epichlorohydrin are subjected to reaction, cellulose ester is generated, the reaction activity is improved, the the manioc straw, the manioc waste and the quadrol are subjected to reaction, a quaternary amine group is introduced, and an cationic ion exchanger is prepared. Under conditions of a room temperature and oscillation, the pH value of waste water is adjusted to be no more than 12, the cationic absorbing agent is added, the solid-to-liquid ratio of the absorbing agent and the waste water is no less than 1g/L, the oscillating time is no less than 30 min, filtering is conducted, and the cationic absorbing agent is separated. According to the method and application, source of raw materials is numerous, the cost is low, the process is simple, and the absorbing agent is economical and applicable, reproducible, high in weight gain and good in stability and absorbing effect and can be used widely in processing of waste water of water body eutrophication, anionic dye and negative ions such as arsenic acid radical, sulfate radical and Cr (VI).