Generating power using waste straw, the most common agricultural byproduct is one of the solutions being proposed to develop the countryside and improve the environment, according to Li Xiaopeng, who is the chairman of the state-owned finance company China Everbright Group.

Li spoke about his proposal during an interview ahead of the closing of the second session of the 13th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

This was the second year running that he has submitted a proposal on the use of waste straw to generate electricity.

Farmers tend to dispose of straw by burning it, which then becomes a source of air pollution. Li has proposed that household waste be composed with straw so that it can be used as a source of fuel for a power plant.

This idea has been implemented at a power plant byChina Everbright Group in Fengyang County in Anhui Province, which went into service at the end of 2017.

China Everbright Group has said that it is willing to funnel its financial resources into the development of environmentally-friendly industries.