Haley Everitt
PhD Student
Western University
Haley Everitt (she/her) is a PhD student in the Department of Geography and Environment at Western University under the supervision of Dr. Jason Gilliland within the Human Environments Analysis Laboratory. Haley is eager to develop a better understanding of how socioeconomic factors and pro-environmental behaviours influence household food waste, as well as determine how these behaviours change under crisis circumstances, so that we may be able to effectively eliminate the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ attitude our society holds as we begin to re-imagine our sense of normality and build more resilient and sustainable communities in our post-pandemic world. A key component to Haley’s research is to answer her research questions using a direct measurement approach, where the waste generated by her sample households is collected, weighed, and analyzed to determine the amount and composition of food waste sent to landfill. Rather than relying on bias-prone methods such as surveys and diaries, this methodology has been identified by fellow waste scholars as a comprehensive assessment of household food waste. Her research will fill existing gaps in our current knowledge of the impacts of COVID-19 on waste management and will further our understanding of how socioeconomic and pro-environmental behaviours relate to waste generation and reduction efforts.