Curriculum Vitae
Vishnu Calvin Lakhan
PERMANENT ADDRESS: 21 Madrid Crst, Brampton, Ontario
PERSONAL: 33 years, Male, born in Canada, Canadian citizen.
Cell: 416-523-5164
Email: lakhanc@yorku.ca
COMPETENCIES: Specialist in the field of environmental resource management, environmental economics, quantitative methods, and geographical information systems. Could teach and conduct research in all aspects of environmental studies, statistical analyses of data, and geospatial analysis.
Education History and Highlights
University of Waterloo/Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
- Doctor of Philosophy in Geography, 2011-2015
- Dissertation Topic: Critical review of Ontario’s Blue Box Recycling System: Identifying best practices in printed paper and packaging recycling
York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Masters of Environmental Studies in Environmental Economics, 2007-2009
- Thesis Topic: Assessing the efficacy of willingness to accept valuation indicators for non- fungible and natural goods
- Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Econometrics, 2002-2006
- Graduated Summa Cum Laude
Employment History
2016-Present: Co-Investigator “Waste Wiki” (York University – Faculty of Environmental Studies)
- Collaborative research initiative between academia, industry and government
- Open access research platform: The “Waste Wiki” conducts research and develops tools to aid in evidenced based decision making for stakeholders
- Developed Canada’s largest open access library for waste related literature
- Works closely with a range of municipal and private sector partners to address issues related to Blue Box Funding, package light weighting etc.
2015-2016: Senior Research Scientist (Ontario Center for Recycling Research)
- Assist recycling stakeholders in designing and carrying out projects by offering methodological and analytical support through all stages of project development
- Partnered with more than 10 municipalities and packaging companies
- Worked on 6 multi provincial projects with stakeholders at all levels of government
2012 – 2015: Consultant (Pear Consulting, Mississauga, Ontario)
- Lead consultant in developing industry stewardship plans for obligated stewards
- Develop cost recovery and activity based costing models for companies interested in quantifying the costs of waste diversion
- Perform jurisdictional scans for legislative recycling requirements for clients operating across multiple provinces/states
2014: Contract Senior Policy Advisor (Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Toronto, Ontario)
- Analytical support for the Waste Management Policy Branch
- Develop cost models to quantify economic and diversion impacts of potential policies
2011 – 2015: Teaching Assistant (UOW/Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario)
- Teaching Assistant for Canadian Urban Geography, Canadian Urban Space and Geographies of Human Development, Environmental Thought
- Lab Instructor for Geographic Information and Analysis, Spatial Statistics
- Teaching Assistant and tutorial leader for Perspectives on Sustainability
2010- 2011: Consultant (StewardEdge, Toronto, Ontario)
- Consultant in developing Stewardship Ontario GHG Emissions calculator
- Analytical support for Blue Box, Ontario Electronic Stewardship and Material Hazardous Solid Waste programs
- Extensive knowledge of Canadian and international extended producer responsibility schemes
2009-2010: Technical Analyst (Bell Canada, Mississauga, Ontario)
- Analytical support for One Source Migration team
- Assist in writing, translating and disseminating corporate policies and communications
Articles Published to Refereed Publications
Published:
Lakhan, C. (2017) “The Garbage Gospel: The role of religious institutions in shaping attitudes towards recycling and waste management” Journal of Environmental Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2017.1337701
Lakhan, C. (2016) “Optimizing emissions targets for residential recycling programs: Why “more” isn’t necessarily better with respect to diversion” Waste Management and Research DOI: 2016 Nov;34(11):1148-1156. Epub 2016 Aug 3.
Lakhan, C. (2016) “Out of sight, out of mind: Issues and opportunities for recycling in multi residential dwellings” Resources Conservation and Recycling, 108(3):1-9
Lakhan, C. (2016) “The relationship between municipal waste diversion incentivization and recycling rate performance: An Ontario case study” Resources Conservation and Recycling, 106(1) 68-77
Lakhan, C. (2016) “Effectiveness of recycling promotion and education initiatives among first generation ethnic minorities in Ontario, Canada” Social Sciences 5:23; doi:10.3390/socsci5020023
Lakhan, C. (2016) “Quantifying emissions impacts for Ontario’s Waste Electronics Recycling Program” Journal of Carbon Research Forthcoming doi:10.3390/c2020011
Lakhan, C. (2016) “Perception of Environmental Harm and Willingness to Pay Environmental Handling Fees” Environments, 3(1):22-29
Lakhan, C. (2016) “Do eco-fees encourage design for the environment? The relationship between environmental handling fees and recycling rates for printed paper and packaging” Recycling 1(1):140-152
Lakhan, C. (2016) “Factors influencing increases in residential recycling system costs for Ontario’s Blue Box program” Advances in Recycling and Waste Management 01(3):111-124
Lakhan, C. (2015) “North of the 46 Parallel: Obstacles and Challenges to Recycling in Ontario’s Rural and Northern Communities” Waste Management, 10:216-226
Alam N., Ahmad SR., Qadir A., Lakhan C., Ashraf MI., Lakhan VC. (2015) “Use of statistical and GIS techniques to assess and predict concentrations of heavy metals in soils of Lahore City Pakistan” Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 10(636): 237-245
Lakhan, C. (2015) “Challenges and Opportunities to Increasing Diversion in Ontario’s Industrial, Commercial and Institutional Sector” Advances in Recycling and Waste Management 01(1):101-113
Lakhan, C. (2015) “Stakeholder Perceptions of unit based waste disposal schemes in Ontario, Canada” Resources, 4(3):434-456
Lakhan, C. (2015) “A Comparison of Single and Multi-Stream Recycling Systems in Ontario, Canada” Resources, 4(3): 384-397
Lakhan, C. (2015) “Differences in self-reported recycling behavior among first and second generation South Asians in Ontario” Resource Conservation and Recycling, 4(97): 34-43
Lakhan, C. (2015) “Evaluating the affects of unit based waste disposal schemes on the collection of household recyclables” Resources Conservation and Recycling, 2(95):38-45
Lakhan, C. (2015) “Diversion, but at what cost? The economic challenges of recycling in Ontario” Resources Conservation and Recycling, 2(95):133-142
Lakhan, C. (2014) “Exploring the relationship between municipal promotion and education investments and recycling rate performance: An Ontario case study” Resources Conservation and Recycling, 11 (92): 222–229
Lakhan, C. (2013) “Alternative waste management strategies in the Caribbean: Developing Structured Cooperatives from Informal Recycling Initiatives” Journal of Indo Caribbean Research, 7(1): 17-35.
Revising
Lakhan, C. (2017). Something Stinks: Exploring the relationship between household income levels and access to public space recycling services Resources Conservation and Recycling
Under Review:
Lakhan, C. (2017) “Ethnic Variation in Environmental Attitudes and Behavior” Resources
In Preparation:
Lakhan, C. (2017) “Size matters: How cognitive compliance affects utilization of public space recycling bins”
Lakhan, C. (2017) “Transient vs. Planned Recycling Behavior: Why the motivation for “split second” recycling decisions differ from planned action”
Lakhan, C. (2017) “iPledge: An alternative recycling promotion and education campaign for engaging households in Ontario”
Lakhan, C. (2017) “Public Spaces and the built environment: Why recycling signage is not effective in commons areas”
Lakhan, C. (2017) “Cognitive dissonance and its affect on transient recycling decisions: The “Fu** It Principle”
Lakhan, C. (2017) “Urban waste scavenging: Entrepreneurial or subsistence strategy?”
Lakhan, C. (2017) “Refurbishing electronics and the brain: How community fix it programs increases cognitive function in the elderly”
Technical White Papers/Reports
Lakhan, C. (2018). “Better and best practices in municipal textile diversion policy” – Prepared on behalf of Diabetes Canada
Lakhan. C. (2018) “Food Audit Waste Guide” – Prepared for York Region
Lakhan, C. (2018). “Single family audit review for the City of Toronto” – Prepared on behalf of the city of Toronto
Lakhan, C. (2018). “Key Learnings from Multi Residential Audit Review – Identifying the infrastructural and sociodemographic factors that influence multi residential recycling rates” – Prepared on behalf of York Region
Lakhan, C. (2018). “Developing a tonnage forecasting methodology for the City of Toronto” – Prepared on behalf of the city of Toronto
Lakhan, C. (2017) “Quantifying the effects of package light weighting in the City of Toronto” Prepared on behalf of the Continuous Improvement Fund for the City of Toronto
Lakhan, C. (2015) “Technical White Paper (1 of 4): The “endogeneity” hypothesis: A proposed explanation for why recycling costs are increasing in Ontario” PeerJ
Lakhan, C. (2015) “Technical White Paper (2 of 4): Trends in Blue Box generation and recovery – factors driving changes in system costs and diversion” PeerJ
Lakhan, C. (2015) “Technical White Paper (3 of 4): Trends in Blue Box generation and recovery – Municipal Grouping Analysis” PeerJ
Lakhan, C. (2015) “Technical White Paper (4 of 4): Trends in Blue Box generation and recovery – Changes in component costs” PeerJ
Industry Publications
Lakhan, C. (2018). “Overview of EPR programs in Canada, United States and Europe –better practices in printed paper and packaging legislation” – Prepared for the American Institute for Packaging and the Environment
Lakhan, C. (2018). “Analytical Review of Spectrum LCA calculator” – Prepared for Waste Management of America
Lakhan, C. (2018). “Jurisdictional overview of plastics legislation in Asian and Middle Eastern Markets” – Prepared for Clorox Canada
Lakhan, C. (2018). “Thinking Beyond the Box” – an examination of collection mediums for printed paper and packaging waste” – Prepared for Clorox Canada
Lakhan, C. (2016). “Understanding how program costs and recovery have changed over time” Continuous Improvement Fund http://thecif.ca/2016/10/06/understanding-how-program-costs-and-recovery-have-changed-over-time/
Lakhan, C. (2016). “Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Issues and opportunities for multi residential recycling” Ontario Waste Management Association Waste Edge Magazine (Spring/Summer)
Lakhan, C. (2016). “The Garbage Gospel: How religious institutions can improve recycling participation through alternative promotion and education” Ontario Waste Management Association Waste Edge Magazine (Spring/Summer)
Lakhan, C. (2015). “The changing landscape of recycling: Why staying the course is not a suitable solution” Ontario Waste Management Association Waste Edge Magazine (Spring/Summer)
Conference Presentations
Lakhan, C. (2018). “Lessons learned from National Textile Study – in collaboration with Diabetes Canada” Recycling Council of British Columbia Annual Conference
Lakhan, C. (2018) “Developing a provincial textile diversion program” – Province of Manitoba, Ministry of the Environment
Lakhan, C. (2017). “Better Practices in Municipal Textile Diversion” National Textile Symposium
Lakhan, C. (2017) “What should go in the bin? Sustainable Materials Management for printed paper and packaging” American Institute for Packaging and the Environment Annual Conference
Lakhan, C. (2017) “Effects of Package Light Weighting for Ontario municipalities” Ontario Recycler’s Workshop
Lakhan, C. (2017) “Knowledge Mobilization in the Waste Sector” Canadian Association of Geographers Annual Meeting
Lakhan, C. (2017) “The Waste Wiki Project: Accessibility in Waste Research” Ontario Waste Management Association Annual Conference
Lakhan, C. (2016) “Investigating the Economic Viability and Household Demand for Textile Donation Bins in the Greater Toronto Area” Canadian Waste to Resource Recovery Conference
Lakhan, C. (2016) “Poster Presentation: The Waste Wiki Project” Canadian Waste to Resource Recovery Conference
Lakhan, C. (2015). “Rethink, Revisit and Recycle: Challenging the assumptions and drivers of diversion in Ontario” Ontario Waste Management Association Annual Meeting
Lakhan, C. (2012) “Developing a cost model for quantifying the costs of informal waste collection” RE-CARIBE 2012
Lakhan, C. (2012) “Formalizing the informal waste sector: Alternative waste management strategies in the Caribbean” University of Waterloo/Wilfrid Laurier University Joint Ph.D Geography Research Symposium
Media Appearances
Television Appearances
http://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational/trying-to-recycle-everything-comes-at-a-high-cost-reduce-reuse-rethink-1.4656406
News Articles :
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/toronto/article-bags-better-than-bins-for-recycling-study-finds/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/recycling-unrecyclable-terracycle-1.4614971
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/recycling-blue-box-challenges-evolving-tonne-1.4584484
http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2692028835
Radio Interviews
CBC QUEBEC – Breakaway
CBC TORONTO — Here and Now
CBC EDMONTON — Radio Active
CBC OTTAWA — All in a Day
CBC HALIFAX — Mainstreet
CBC NEW BRUNSWICK — Shift
CBC YELLOWKNIFE — Trail’s End
CBC CALGARY — Homestretch
CBC LONDON — Afternoon Drive
CBC WINNIPEG — Up to Speed
CBC MONTREAL — Home Run
CBC SUDBURY/THUNDER BAY — Up North
CBC WHITEHORSE — Airplay
CBC VICTORIA — All Points West
CBC SASKATCHEWAN – Afternoon Edition
CBC KELOWNA — Radio West Host
Current Projects
| · Diabetes Canada National Textile Program – Better Practices in Textile Diversion |
| · Research Support of the Ontario Waste Management Association |
| · Research Partnership between the City of Toronto and York University |
| · Research Partnership between York Region and York University
· Research Support for the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change |
University Teaching Experience
Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University
- Course Instructor ENVS6182 – Quantitative Research Methods (2017,2018)
Department of Geography, UOW/Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
- Lab leader for GG254 – Geographic Information and Analysis
- Teaching Assistant for UU101 – Perspectives on Sustainability
- Teaching Assistant for UU260 – Urban Economic Geography
- Teaching Assistant for ES298 – Environmental Thought
- Guest lecture: UU101 Perspectives on Sustainability
- Guest lecture: UU260 Urban Economic Geography
Department of Economics, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Guest Lecture ECON4380 – Public Choice Theory
- Guest Lecture ECON3340 – Environmental Economics
- Guest Lecture ECON4130 – Economics of Information and Incentives
Grants, Scholarships and Academic Awards
- 2016-Current: Research Grant For Ontario’s “Waste Wiki” Project ($310,000)
- 2011-2014: Ontario Graduate Scholarship ($60000)
- 2013: Elizabeth Tsicharlet Graduate Scholarship in Geography ($2000)
- 2011-14: UoW/Wilfrid Laurier Graduate Fellowship ($12000)
- 2011-14: UoW/Wilfrid Laurier Graduate Scholarship ($8000)
- 2008: York University Continuing Graduate Scholarship ($24000)
- 2007: York University Entrance Graduate Scholarship ($24000)
- 2003-2006: York University Continuing Scholarship ($15000)
- 2005: Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Haemophilia Scholarship ($5000USD)
- 2004: TCOR Haemophilia Scholarship ($5000)
- 2002: York University Entrance Scholarship ($5000)
- 2002: Turner Fenton Academic Excellence Award in: OAC Economics, OAC Calculus
Professional contributions
- Elsevier “Excellence in Review” http://www.journals.elsevier.com/resources-conservation-and-recycling/news/announcing-the-first-cohort-of-excellence-in-review-award-re/
- Editorial board member for Advances in Recycling and Waste Management
- Reviewer for Resources Conservation and Recycling, Waste Management, Journal of Environmental Management, Environment and Behavior
Volunteer Experience
- 2015 – Present: Board Member Community Environmental Alliance
- 2007 – Present: Canvasser for Canadian Cancer Society, TCOR Haemophilia society and Canadian Kidney Foundation
