Dennis Eagle wins major orders in waste and recycling

Dennis Eagle RCVs are proving their versatility in both general waste collection and in more specialised recycling roles with two recent orders within the municipal sector, at Kirklees and Charnwood.


As part of a total fleet replacement programme, West Yorkshire-based Kirklees Metropolitan Council has started to take delivery of 36 Dennis Eagle RCVs that will be phased into service this year.

In addition to supplying the new vehicles, each of which is being equipped to run on bio-fuel, Dennis Eagle will also support the contract by providing the council’s workforce with full technical training and the required diagnostic equipment needed to maintain and service the new fleet. Such support will emanate from Dennis Eagle’s Service Centre that is located in neighbouring Leeds, and which was one of the prime movers in the tendering process.

“The supply of the new Dennis Eagle RCVs will signify the start of a marriage that will continue over the seven year life of the vehicles,” states Kirklees Metropolitan Council’s Transport & Cleansing Manager, Roger Wilson.

He added: “Dennis Eagle secured the business under strict compliance with the procurement rules of the council. At the end of the day they met our total requirements. What’s more, the Dennis Eagle vehicles are the preferred tool with all of our drivers.”

Operating out of the council’s depots in Skelmanthorpe, Huddersfield and Dewsbury, the fleet newcomers centre around three primary vehicle specifications. Equipped with Telma Retarders, on-board weighing equipment and featuring the Elite 2 driver plus three cab, the vehicle order is made up of 15 Phoenix 2 20s with Zoeller Rotary bin lifts that will be supplied on the Elite 6 X 4 chassis. A total of 11 narrow width 4 X 2 chassis with corresponding P2 9N bodies will be supplied as a combination of open backs and fitted with the Zoeller 249P bin lifts. Completing the order are ten P2 15 narrow bodies, again specified with the Zoeller Rotary bin lift that are being mated with both the 6 X 4 and 6 X 2 mid-lift Elite chassis.
The fleet newcomers will be used to support the council’s existing waste management programme that is based on a combined waste and recycled wheeled bin scheme covering some 173,000 domestic properties.

They will also support a new pilot scheme for garden waste that the council is set to roll out in 2005, as well as cover some several thousand trade outlets.
Commenting on behalf of Dennis Eagle, Managing Director of Commercial Operations, Norman Thoday, stated: “The contract with Kirklees Metropolitan Council sees us bring together each facet of our business, and one where the supply of vehicles is merely the starting point of a new partnership.

Duos fit the bill

When Charnwood Borough Council elected to introduce radical enhancements to its existing recycling initiative, its priority was to source the optimum vehicle to help deliver the new scheme. Having called in the expertise of its fleet vehicle provider, GPL Hire and Service, and operators of its waste management and collection service, Onyx, all three parties agreed that the Dennis Eagle twin compartment Duo was the best vehicle to help roll out the programme.

As a result, Charnwood Borough Council has recently taken delivery of seven Duos, each of which features a main compaction body and top loaded pod located behind the cab. The first Dennis Eagle vehicles to be supplied by GPL Hire and Service – an operating division of Go Plant Ltd – the Duos are also the first to enter service in this council’s RCV fleet.

Deployed by the council’s waste management contractor, Onyx, the Duos play a key role in delivering the new improved recycling scheme. Dedicated solely to this aspect of the Council’s waste management programme, each vehicle – specified on Dennis Eagle’s Elite 6 X 4 chassis with driver plus three cabs – is responsible for the fortnightly collection of recyclable materials.

Serving some 64,000 residential properties throughout the borough, the Duos are collecting three types of recyclables: the top loaded pod is being used for the collection of glass, the main body compartment for dry recyclables collected in green sacks and cardboard in red sacks.

In addition to enhancing its recycling scheme, Charnwood Borough Council is also due to switch from a weekly collection of residual household waste in black sacks to an alternate week cycle using wheeled bins.

Go Plant Ltd has supplied each of the Duos on seven-year contract hire with full maintenance.

Commenting on the specification of the new vehicles, Head of Technical Services at Charnwood Borough Council, Peter Rook, said: “All parties involved in the vehicle selection process agreed unanimously that the Duo was the best vehicle for the job. We are therefore confident that they will be successful in helping us significantly improve the waste collection and recycling service that we are introducing for the residents of Charnwood borough.”

Regional Director for Onyx, Philip Gilmour, said: “The P2 Duo provides an excellent solution for the collection of recyclable materials at Charnwood. The use of this multi-compartment vehicle has meant that the same vehicle can collect all materials at the same time. This has significantly reduced the amount of vehicle journeys required.”

Action inspires action. Stay ahead of the curve with sustainability and energy newsletters from edie

Subscribe