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Phone Books Weighing You Down?
phone books
Trying to minimize your environmental footprint in 2012? One of the best ways to reduce your footprint is to reduce stuff—especially unsolicited stuff that's delivered to your door.

One example is phone books. Some people receive many copies from many different companies. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality recommends that if you don't need a new phone book you can opt out by contacting book publishers or registering.

DEQ estimates that in 2003 there were 6.45 million sets of white/yellow pages published and distributed in Oregon, and there were only 1.33 million households in the state. And that was nine years ago. Nationally, only about 20 percent of phone books are recycled. The rest end up in landfills or are burned.
Current Issues
How Do I?
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Meet Director Dick Pedersen
Director Dick Pedersen
Comcast newsmakers interview Department of Environmental Quality Director Dick Pedersen about the agency's approach to solving environmental problems.
Report an Environmental Problem
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Now it's easier to file a pollution complaint for DEQ to investigate with our new online complaints form. To report a spill or environmental emergency, contact the Oregon Emergency Response System at 1-800-452-0311.
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Join Our E-Mail Update Lists
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Receive e-mail notifications and updates on a variety of DEQ projects. Select from a menu of topics that interest you.
News
Dealing With Storm Debris?
flooding
Here are some guidelines for residents. Additionally, our fact sheets may help. See Disaster Debris Management and Managing and Permitting Disaster Debris.

You can also contact DEQ directly by calling Craig Filip at 541-686-7868 for Yamhill, Polk, Marion, Lincoln, Linn, Benton, Lane, Douglas, Josephine, Jackson, Coos and Curry counties. For Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Columbia, Clatsop and Tillamook counties contact Leslie Kochan at 503-229-5529.
Army's Hermiston Facility Safely Completes Chemical Weapons Destruction
Umatilla
After about seven years, the U.S. Army's Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility near Hermiston has completed the safe incineration of liquid chemical agent that had been part of the Umatilla Chemical Depot's chemical weapons stockpile for decades. The facility disposed of the last batch of blister or "mustard" agent on Oct. 25, 2011. DEQ's Chemical Demilitarization Program oversees the facility's hazardous waste permit to ensure safety for human health and the environment. Learn more about the next steps at the facility as it moves toward closure, and get information about DEQ's continuing work at the site.
DEQ Office Closures
Office Building
For notice of inclement weather closures, check the Office Locations and Hours page.