Dennis Eagle explore the successes of its Dennis to the Rescue mobile classroom, which is converted from a refurbished RCV and dedicated to raising greater awareness about sustainability.
This summer has been host to an unprecedented surge in natural events across the globe.
In the UK, record-breaking heatwaves have lasted longer than anyone could have anticipated, with five scorching weeks delivering temperatures of up to 38 degrees, making it the hottest UK summer on record.
Wildfires caught the nation’s attention in Salford Priors, Stourbridge, the New Forest, and many more areas – not to mention the devasting impact of July’s fires in France and Spain.
Just last month, we all saw the catastrophic footage of the flash flooding still laying waste to the landscape in Nepal. Climate change is at a crisis point, and we should all play a role in confronting it.
It just so happens that the waste and recycling industry is ideally placed to help encourage more sustainable practices and inspire behavioural change in homes across the UK.
Every day offers a new opportunity for waste to be saved from landfill, whether through new weekly food waste collections or by incentivising changes in recycling habits thanks to initiatives, such as the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS).
A key aspect of this is making certain this sustainable mindset is not only a priority for businesses and organisations but is firmly embedded into the next generation of home and business owners from an early age. After all, the youth of today will ultimately be responsible for the footprint of tomorrow.
This means making waste collection, and the correct approach to this, fun and engaging. That way, young people are more easily able to connect with and relate to the importance of their role in caring for the environment.
Recent success stories have included the introduction of 10 new food waste monsters known as ‘The Scraps Gang’ to Lichfield District and Tamworth Joint Waste Service’s fleet, and the continued popularity of Biffa’s highly recognisable ‘Wasteater’ trucks, a series of eye-catching refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) designed to promote sustainable waste management.
Through these initiatives, waste and recycling organisations are making a lasting impression on young people and encouraging them to think differently about how they dispose of their waste.
Dennis Eagle is making a difference
UK-leading RCV manufacturer, Dennis Eagle, has taken this one step further. Since 2013, it has offered its local authority and private contractor customers a physical platform from which the next generation can learn all about protecting the planet.
Part of the organisation’s sustainable schools programme, Dennis to the Rescue is a modern, mobile classroom converted from a refurbished RCV dedicated to raising greater awareness about sustainability.
Its features include a plug-and-play interactive TV, plush seating, a fridge, and solar power, creating a comfortable and engaging educational space for children.
The mobile classroom is available for hire by Dennis Eagle’s customers and local schools for educational outreach purposes, whether that’s at community events, on school grounds, or to support recycling and environmental initiatives.
The project was collaboratively supported by partners Oxford Specialist Coachbuilders Limited and Creative Vehicle Wrapping, who helped to give the bin truck its new look; a reimagined, contemporary interior and a colourful, vibrant cartoon wrap.
Alongside this, Dennis Eagle worked closely with trusted partner Skips Educational, a specialist in providing impactful learning resources for schools, to produce Dennis to the Rescue lesson booklets, colouring activities, and recycling presentations, all of which aim to improve students’ understanding of their role in caring for the environment.
These booklets are supplied alongside the vehicle, equipping teachers with ready-made, comprehensive learning aids, from wordsearches to poster designs. This is often accompanied by physical activities such as litter picking, adding real-world context to the learning.
In 2025, the Dennis to the Rescue mobile classroom directly influenced 15,000 children and 60,000 family members across the UK in the space of a single year, helping to drive forward the business’ mission of empowering young eco-warriors through education.
This year, the truck has been incredibly busy due to its growing popularity and tangible impact, now even booked out until mid-2027.
Recently hired by SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK in partnership with Milton Keynes City Council, the classroom visited five schools in the local area this March, engaging with over 1,100 students to help them to better understand how residual waste is used.
Based on a follow-up questionnaire distributed to round off the initiative, SUEZ and Milton Keynes learned that an average of five readers per booklet had sight of the booklet’s contents, ultimately reaching 2,820 family members.
SUEZ and Southend-on-Sea City Council also took the opportunity to make the most of the mobile classroom earlier this year, visiting four primary schools and 1,170 children, as well as handing out 659 custom-branded resource booklets.
To finish off its tour, the mobile classroom stopped by the seafront and parked up near Venture Island, welcoming roughly 300 local residents onboard.
The programme has also seen success in Wales through partnership with Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council, engaging 476 students and 43 staff, and a major Lancashire collaboration involved Fylde, Blackburn, Pendle and Rossendale councils, delivering meaningful educational impact to a further 1,321 students.
The catalyst for positive change
The sustainable schools programme has laid the foundation for several other waste management and environmental-led initiatives from Dennis Eagle.
Developed in conjunction with Skips Educational, Dennis Explains consists of a series of educational flyers built for local authority customers to download, print, and hand out to residents.
The flyers are designed to address key trends and significant industry topics in a fun, engaging way while maintaining the severity of the challenges at hand.
Covering topics such as battery fire safety, food waste, and fly-tipping, these have been met with enthusiasm by Dennis Eagle’s customers, with many now using the flyers alongside the mobile classroom.
At the Resource and Waste Management Expo (RWM) this September, Dennis Eagle also launched its new ‘Eat Now’ initiative. The Eat Now strip, produced in partnership with Skips Educational, is an FSC-certified recyclable divider which can be placed on a fridge shelf and used to identify food that needs to be eaten first.
Prompted by the urgent need to reduce food waste within the UK, the Eat Now strip gives households a visible prompt to help prioritise food approaching best before or expiry dates in an attempt to minimise wastage.
The strip is available alongside a virtual AI assistant which offers recipe ideas, freezing advice, and food-saving tips based on the ingredients specified by the user.
Eat Now has also been developed to give organisations greater insight into the effectiveness of their household food waste campaigns.
Anonymous digital engagement and feedback show how the programme is being used, supporting estimates of food waste reduced, household money saved, and CO₂ emissions avoided, all underpinned by recognised sources such as WRAP research.
Together, Dennis Eagle’s environmental campaigns can be used as a significant force for behavioural change.
This gives local authorities, waste contractors, and other organisations an opportunity to move beyond simply communicating sustainability messages towards supporting, understanding, and evaluating positive environmental impact.
Dennis to the Rescue and its related resources continue to influence and inspire the next generation to do better by their waste for a brighter, greener tomorrow.
