Sandy garbage trucks to carry underage drinking warnings

Safety • The phase of a statewide campaign aims to educate parents.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune
Beth Holbrook, of Waste Management, speaks at Waste Management Wednesday June 3, 2015. The partnership, with Waste Management (garbage trucks), Sandy City Mayor's Office, the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health and ParentsEmpowered.org, is aimed at educating parents/adults on the dangers of underage drinking and what parents/adults can do to prevent it, especially during the summer months when the amount of unmonitored time for kids increases dramatically, which results in an increase in underage alcohol consumption.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune
Waste Management employees listen as Nicole Martin, from Sandy City, speaks at Waste Management Wednesday June 3, 2015. The partnership, with Waste Management (garbage trucks), Sandy City Mayor's Office, the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health and ParentsEmpowered.org, is aimed at educating parents/adults on the dangers of underage drinking and what parents/adults can do to prevent it, especially during the summer months when the amount of unmonitored time for kids increases dramatically, which results in an increase in underage alcohol consumption.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune
Nicole Martin, from Sandy City, speaks at Waste Management Wednesday June 3, 2015. The partnership, with Waste Management (garbage trucks), Sandy City Mayor's Office, the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health and ParentsEmpowered.org, is aimed at educating parents/adults on the dangers of underage drinking and what parents/adults can do to prevent it, especially during the summer months when the amount of unmonitored time for kids increases dramatically, which results in an increase in underage alcohol consumption.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune
Beth Holbrook, of Waste Management, speaks Wednesday about a partnership between Waste Management and Sandy City mayors office, the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health and ParentsEmpowered.org. The organizations are launching an advertising program aimed at educating parents/adults on the dangers of underage drinking and what parents/adults can do to prevent it, especially during the summer months.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune
Doug Murakami, Director of Alcohol Education Utah
DABC/ParentsEmpowered, speaks at Waste Management Wednesday June 3, 2015. The partnership, with Waste Management (garbage trucks), Sandy City Mayor's Office, the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health and ParentsEmpowered.org, is aimed at educating parents/adults on the dangers of underage drinking and what parents/adults can do to prevent it, especially during the summer months when the amount of unmonitored time for kids increases dramatically, which results in an increase in underage alcohol consumption.

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Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Beth Holbrook, of Waste Management, speaks at Waste Management Wednesday June 3, 2015. The partnership, with Waste Management (garbage trucks), Sandy City Mayor's Office, the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health and ParentsEmpowered.org, is aimed at educating parents/adults on the dangers of underage drinking and what parents/adults can do to prevent it, especially during the summer months when the amount of unmonitored time for kids increases dramatically, which results in an increase in underage alcohol consumption. Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Waste Management employees listen as Nicole Martin, from Sandy City, speaks at Waste Management Wednesday June 3, 2015. The partnership, with Waste Management (garbage trucks), Sandy City Mayor's Office, the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health and ParentsEmpowered.org, is aimed at educating parents/adults on the dangers of underage drinking and what parents/adults can do to prevent it, especially during the summer months when the amount of unmonitored time for kids increases dramatically, which results in an increase in underage alcohol consumption. Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Nicole Martin, from Sandy City, speaks at Waste Management Wednesday June 3, 2015. The partnership, with Waste Management (garbage trucks), Sandy City Mayor's Office, the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health and ParentsEmpowered.org, is aimed at educating parents/adults on the dangers of underage drinking and what parents/adults can do to prevent it, especially during the summer months when the amount of unmonitored time for kids increases dramatically, which results in an increase in underage alcohol consumption. Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Beth Holbrook, of Waste Management, speaks Wednesday about a partnership between Waste Management and Sandy City mayors office, the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health and ParentsEmpowered.org. The organizations are launching an advertising program aimed at educating parents/adults on the dangers of underage drinking and what parents/adults can do to prevent it, especially during the summer months. Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Doug Murakami, Director of Alcohol Education Utah DABC/ParentsEmpowered, speaks at Waste Management Wednesday June 3, 2015. The partnership, with Waste Management (garbage trucks), Sandy City Mayor's Office, the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health and ParentsEmpowered.org, is aimed at educating parents/adults on the dangers of underage drinking and what parents/adults can do to prevent it, especially during the summer months when the amount of unmonitored time for kids increases dramatically, which results in an increase in underage alcohol consumption.

By Shaheed M. Morris The Salt Lake Tribune

· June 3, 2015 5:00 pm

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Nine Waste Management garbage trucks — wrapped in over-sized messages aimed at educating parents on the dangers of underage drinking — were unveiled Wednesday.

The garbage trucks are Phase II of a statewide campaign aimed at eliminating underage drinking in Utah, which is sponsored by Waste Management, Sandy City and Parents Empowered.org.

"As parents and as a community, we must make a difference by talking to our kids about the dangers of alcohol," Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan said in a written statement. "And then we must stay involved in their lives, ensuring an alcohol-free environment."

The nine Sandy garbage trucks carry messages on both sides that state: "Parents chip away at the problem. Almost 50% of teens who drink become alcohol dependent."

Another 130 Waste Management trucks throughout the state are already carrying similar warnings against teen drinking, said Steve Wright, with the public relations firm R&R Partners.

The first phase of the campaign kicked off on April 28, when underage drinking messages were placed on Sandy City's patrol squad cars that read: "Seat reserved for adults who provide alcohol to minors."

The campaign will continue for another six months with town hall meetings and forums hosted by Parents Empowered and Sandy City.

smorris@sltrib.com

Twitter: @ ShaheedMo