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.