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Materials Management Home

Materials Management Program

Our vision

Oregonians in 2050 produce and use materials responsibly, conserving resources, protecting the environment and enhancing well-being.

Materials management takes a holistic view of environmental impacts across the full life cycle of materials, as well as actions that can be taken to reduce those impacts. It includes resource extraction and use of recovered materials, the design and production of materials, their use, and end-of-life management, including solid waste disposal and recovery.

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Protecting the environment

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Product Stewardship

Product stewardship is an environmental management strategy in which all parties involved in the design, production, sale, and use of a product take responsibility for minimizing environmental and human health impacts. DEQ supports product stewardship as a way to reduce overall environmental impacts throughout the product's full life cycle; increase reuse and recycling; reduce toxics and waste generation; and internalize and more equitably distribute the costs of products, including managing those products at the end of their useful life. 

DEQ is a leader in product stewardship and has successfully implemented programs for beverage containers, electronics, paint and medicines. In 2021, Oregon passed a mattress recycling law and became one of the first states to pass legislation requiring producers of packaged products, food serviceware, and printing and writing paper to take responsibility for effective recycling and management of their products. 

Conserving resources