Grant funds recycling in Washington County. (Municipal Recycling).

Cities in Washington's King County have collected more than 1.25 million pounds of recyclables during this year's spring recycling round-ups, which are funded in part by the state's Department of Ecology.

The drop-off events in March, April and May attracted 6,815 area residents delivering materials that included motor oil, antifreeze, scrap metal, electronic waste and other recyclable waste generally not collected through the county's curbside programs.

"Collection events provide a convenient and affordable outlet for hard-to-recycle items and ensure that the materials are handled in a manner that protects human health and the environment," Steven Williams, who helps administer grants for the Department of Ecology, says.

Fourteen cities received $114,000 in Coordinated Prevention Grants from the Department of Ecology during the past two years to help stage solid-waste collection events.

The funds come from a state tax paid by wholesale distributors of petroleum and other hazardous materials under the voter-approved Toxic Cleanup Act of 1989. The cities matched the department's grants with $37,900 of their own funds.

Cities that used Department of Ecology funds to support this year's spring clean-up events were Algona, Black Diamond, Burien, Covington, Duvall, Kenmore, Kent, Maple Valley, Newcastle, Normandy Park, Pacific, Redmond, Sammamish and Skykomish.

The Department of Ecology awards Coordinated Prevention Grants to local governments every two years. Statewide, the department is providing more than $19 million to local governments for the 2002-03 biennium.