South Tyneside Council orders 22 Dennis Eagle refuse trucks with narrow bodies and electric bin lifts
South Tyneside Council has ordered 22 Dennis Eagle refuse collection vehicles equipped with narrow bodies, electric bin lifts, and safety cameras to improve waste collection in tight residential areas.
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What Happened
South Tyneside Council has acquired 22 new Dennis Eagle refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) following a competitive tender process. The fleet includes 20 Elite+ chassis with Olympus 19 Narrow bodies and Terberg electric bin lifts, plus two vehicles with Trade bin lifts. The vehicles will collect domestic, recycling, and green waste.
“I was delighted to welcome our newest fleet of bin lorries to South Tyneside. This investment reflects our ongoing commitment to providing reliable, high-quality services for our residents while making sure our frontline teams have the modern equipment they need to do their essential work safely and efficiently.”
The narrow body design is crucial for navigating the borough's narrow, terraced streets. The council also opted for 360-degree cameras to enhance driver visibility and safety. Each vehicle will feature manual button stations on both sides, a reinforced Hardox floor, and a five-camera DVR system.
“One of the biggest appeals of working with Dennis Eagle was the fact the business is a one-stop shop for every part of the RCV. We’d experienced some pain in the past having to deal with multiple suppliers for different components, which often led to significant downtime across the fleet, so having everything come from one expert would make things so much easier.”
The electric bin lifts, paired with low-emission engines, support the council's carbon-neutral goals. The new Olympus bodies allow full payload of recycling in one collection, compared to a previous 70/30 split. The council also engaged the community by naming the vehicles, with over 200 name submissions including 'Obi One Binobi', 'Trash Gordon', and 'Thomas the Trash Wagon'.
Why this matters
The investment modernizes the council's fleet, improves recycling efficiency, and supports carbon-neutral goals with electric bin lifts and low-emission engines.
Terms in This Story
- RCV
- Refuse Collection Vehicle, a truck designed for collecting municipal solid waste.
- Bin lift
- A mechanical device on a refuse truck that lifts and empties bins into the vehicle's hopper.
- Narrow body
- A narrower refuse collection body designed to navigate tight streets and alleys.
- Hardox
- A brand of wear-resistant steel used in heavy-duty applications like truck bodies.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.