The annual report from the National Development and Reform Commission on April 8 described the basics of China's utilization of mineral resources, industrial, agricultural and forestry waste, and renewable resources in 2011.

The utilization efficiency of major minerals, including coal and copper, increased by 0.5 to 1 percentage point in 2011 compared with the previous year. About a third of China's coexisting mineral resources have been comprehensively developed, according to the report.

The utilization rate of industrial solid waste was nearly 60 percent in 2011. Utilization of large solid waste such as fly ash, coal gangue and the industrial by-product gypsum reached 1.5 billion tons. The utilization rate of crop straw was around 71 percent in 2011, with an annual utilization of 500 million tons.

More than 100,000 companies were engaged in renewable resources recycling in 2011, with 18 million people getting involved in the business. The amount of major varieties of recycled resources reached 165 million tons in 2011.