Formerly a dentist, Dr Shanthi Tummala quit her practice eight years ago and plunged into SWM activism full-time. She established HSR Citizen Forum to streamline waste management in HSR Layout, Bangalore. She is a founding member of Bengaluru Eco Team. She was actively involved in the city-wide plastic ban movement in Bengaluru and co-led the establishment of Swachagraha Kalika Kendra — a first-of-its-kind composting learning centre in Bangalore.

When an opportunity arose, Dr Shanthi reached out to the Telangana government and spearheaded the Swachh Siddipet campaign. She worked in tandem with the local government officials in Siddipet Taluk to streamline waste segregation at source; efficient collection, transportation and disposal of all streams of waste. Another important feature of Siddipet’s transformation is the sustainable menstruation campaign led by her and some other SWMRT members to promote the use of menstrual cups and reusable cloth pads to mitigate the environmental damage caused by sanitary waste.

Dr Shanthi was conferred with Kempegowda Award and Karnataka Women Achievers’ Award for her contribution to holistic SWM.