Mangalam Balasubramanian and a group of women (all residents of Pammal Municipality) formed a mahalir mandram (women's association) to address the challenge of waste management in Pammal. At that time, Pammal's residents commonly deposited their trash on the streets. The municipality's garbage collection trucks cleared waste irregularly. Garbage would accumulate in roadside drains, so during heavy
rain water stagnated on the roads, creating very unhygienic conditions. The mandram started a civic Exnora movement, and began their work by hiring a few workers, buying a tricycle, and collecting waste from 264 houses in their neighborhood, Sri Sankara Nagar. This waste was deposited in open bins at intersections. Awareness-raising street plays were held to educate residents about pollution and the benefits of proper waste management. In July 1994, the mandram began collecting a user fee of Rs 10 per household, which was used to pay employees. Residents living near the waste bins soon objected to the accumulation of mixed waste, so the mandram was forced to innovate. They decided to segregate the waste and make vermicompost from the biodegradable material.
