Dennis to the Rescue makes a difference alongside SUEZ and Milton Keynes

Dennis to the Rescue has returned to Milton Keynes following its successful tenure in the city last year, with 14 schools from across the area getting involved in its educational resource programme earlier this year. Alongside lesson plans focused on the environment, educational booklets were also provided as part of the initiative by behavioural change specialist and our valued partner, Skips Educational.

These invited Year 4 and Year 5 students to participate in an online crossword competition at home to allow for continued learning. This received over 250 submissions, with the winner, Lottie Harris of Broughton Fields Primary School, receiving an Amazon fire tablet and a certificate from SUEZ.

As part of the programme, schools were also invited to work on a sustainability-themed poster to put their learning into practice while giving them the chance of winning a day’s visit from the mobile classroom itself. In March, the five winning schools received a visit from Dennis to the Rescue as their reward, with 1,100 students engaged over the five days.

The schools were as follows:

• Monday: Cold Harbour Primary School
• Tuesday: Portfields Primary School
• Wednesday: Broughton Fields Primary School
• Thursday: The Premier Academy
• Friday: Brooksward School

“Engaging with schools is really important to SUEZ. We want to inspire the next generation and get everybody thinking about the planet and our impact on it,” said Lauren Dazley, Business Administrator at SUEZ UK. “With the Dennis to the Rescue programme, we were able to demonstrate that small actions can have a big impact on our environment, and that we all play a critical role in keeping our planet clean, green, and healthy.”

Inspiring future change

As the top city for recycling in England and the second leading authority for recycling in the UK overall, Milton Keynes is setting a prime example for the next generation of eco warriors it is hoping to educate. By harnessing the learning environment offered by our Dennis to the Rescue truck, SUEZ has helped students to better understand how residual waste is used, for example, to power the city’s electric vehicles.

SUEZ and the council have also taken the opportunity to emphasise the importance of battery recycling through our new resource, created in partnership with Skips Educational. This handy leaflet was handed out to students along with a yellow battery bag to encourage good practice at home in the hopes of reducing the number of refuse collection vehicle fires. SUEZ even branded the leaflet, as well as the educational booklets used alongside the mobile classroom, and made these bespoke to Milton Keynes’ own approach to refuse collection.

“We’re thrilled to be able to support SUEZ and Milton Keynes City Council’s mission to inspire the next generation with greater education around sustainability,” said Adam Robins, General Sales Manager, Dennis Eagle. “We look forward to seeing where Dennis to the Rescue ends up next and hope the truck continues to make a difference across the country.”

Dennis to the Rescue’s latest destination with SUEZ was Southend-on-Sea last month where it continued its positive impact during a trip to the seafront!