Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

At DEQ, employees have the opportunity to work with a dynamic and supportive team of mission-focused individuals tasked with maintaining, restoring, and enhancing the quality of Oregon’s air, land, and water. Here is a video about DEQ: https://youtu.be/iP3K7JoLe1k. Click here to view a map of all of the DEQ offices.

The Land Quality Division supports the agency's mission by managing environmental cleanups, assessing cleanup sites, promoting manufacturing and recycling of non-toxic commercial products, safely managing the disposal of solid and hazardous wastes, overseeing the state's underground storage tank and heating oil tank programs, ensuring timely response and cleanup of spills of oil and hazardous materials, and regulating safe discharge of ballast water to state waters.

The Materials Management program takes a holistic approach, both regulatory and non-regulatory, to protecting the environment and conserving resources while working to enhance the well-being of people and communities. The program works with partners statewide and beyond to reduce the impacts of materials and products during their extraction, production, use, and end-of-life. Integral to these efforts is a focus on equity and environmental justice. Program work is based on rigorous, often original, research. This research is complemented by engagement with many voices across the state that bring their lived experience and expertise to work areas like the built environment, food waste, safe and accessible solid waste recycling and disposal, and efforts to support the take back and recycling of products like electronics, paint, and pharmaceuticals. Materials Management also awards grants to help communities and organizations reach their goals which align with Oregon’s 2050 Vision for Sustainable Materials Management.

The Life Cycle Programs section performs non-regulatory, innovative, and research based work in areas such as built environment, food waste, business initiatives, and grants. This work aims to be place-based and people-centered while moving towards more equitable outcomes.