Sheela Balasubramanian

Indian waste management innovator who transformed urban sanitation through community-driven solutions

Sheela Balasubramanian is a visionary environmental engineer from India known for revolutionizing waste management systems in urban areas. Born in 1972, she gained prominence in the early 2000s through her work with the Earth Institute developing low-cost, community-based recycling models. Her 'door-to-door collection' system pioneered in Mumbai reduced landfill dependency by 40% and inspired similar programs across Asia. Balasubramanian's approach emphasized women's participation in waste segregation, creating sustainable livelihoods for marginalized groups. Her 2005 partnership with UN-Habitat led to scalable models adopted in Delhi and Bangalore. Notable publications like Nature Sustainability have highlighted her work's impact on reducing plastic pollution. Balasubramanian's TED Talk "The Waste Workers Who Saved Mumbai" has over 2 million views. Her methodologies are now taught in courses at IIT Bombay's environmental engineering department. Despite her significant contributions, her name remains less recognized globally compared to her peers in environmental sectors.