Founded in September 2008 by Vermont local governments, the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI), and Upstream to jointly solve problems related to the management of problematic consumer products and packaging, the Vermont Product Stewardship Council (VTPSC) is celebrating 10 years of successes: "the passage of five of the state’s eight extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws, for primary batteries, electronics, paint, mercury lamps, and thermostats... Vermont leads the nation in per capita collection rates for many of these products, recycling or safely disposing of millions of pounds of material and creating recycling jobs throughout the state and the northeast. This year, the group is turning its attention to household hazardous waste and packaging."