BEIJING - China will open more recycling bases this year in a bid to intensify efforts on renewable resource recycling, a Ministry of Commerce (MOC) statement said on Thursday.

The government will fund 20 provinces to build regional recycling bases this year and support 10 more cities to pilot a recycling system featured by advanced technology and equipment, as well as a mature recycling network, said the statement on the MOC website.

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Previously, the recycling system had undergone a trial run in 55 cities and 11 regional recycling bases in China, it said.

The average recycling rate of renewable resources in the pilot cities have improved to 70 percent, meeting the national target set for 2015, according to the statement.

China's recycling of renewable resources, including used home appliances, steel, plastic and non-ferrous metal products, hit 140 million tonnes in 2009, up 42 percent compared with the same period in 2006.

Meanwhile, the 2009 recycling value nearly doubled the 2006 figure to 500 billion yuan ($76 billion), according to the MOC.