Mangaluru : The city is set to become the first city in Karnataka to implement an advanced solid waste management system being from February 1.

During the launch of the programme by Urban Development Minister, Vinay Kumar Sorake here on Friday, Commissioner of Mangaluru City Corporation, Hephsiba Rani Korlapati said that the collection of dry and wet waste separately will begin immediately in some wards, extending to the entire city within seven months.

She said that wet waste will be collected six days a week and dry waste only on Wednesdays. She sought cooperation of all, officials as well as citizens, in achieving the target and making Mangaluru a model for the State in efficient waste collection.

Under the new system, the contractor will deploy 16 specially designed trucks called compactors that will carry 10 tonnes of compacted waste each and 65 tippers that will collect waste from households going into lanes and by-lanes and bring them for onward transport by the compactors.

The contractor, who has appointed 700 persons for the job, will be paid on the basis of quantity of waste dumped as landfill site in Vamanjoor at the rate of Rs. 3,201 per tonne for waste collected from areas in the north (Surathkal to Mannagudda) and Rs. 2,051 for the South (Derebail to Jeppinamogaru).