How David Duong and His Family Built California Waste Solutions Send2Press

News Source: California Waste Solutions

HOW DAVID DUONG AND HIS FAMILY BUILT CALIFORNIA WASTE SOLUTIONS

The Oakland recycling company approaches 35 years with municipal operations in the Bay Area and waste-treatment infrastructure in Vietnam

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 14, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — California Waste Solutions will mark its 35th anniversary in 2027. Founded by David Duong in Oakland in 1992, the family-owned business now serves more than 343,000 customers across Oakland and San José, supported by six Bay Area facilities. Through its subsidiary, Vietnam Waste Solutions, it also operates the Da Phuoc Integrated Waste Treatment Complex near Ho Chi Minh City. The company’s growth traces back to a paper and recycling business the Duong family owned in Vietnam before the war.

Image Caption: David Duong, founder of California Waste Solutions and the subject of “The King of Trash,” speaks with members of the press during a documentary event. The film tells the story of Duong and his family’s journey from Vietnamese refugees to building a family-owned recycling business serving Oakland and San José, with environmental operations in Vietnam.

A FAMILY TRADE REBUILT IN SAN FRANCISCO

David Duong’s father owned and operated a paper and recycling business in Vietnam, where the family learned to collect, handle and sell recovered materials. The Vietnam War and its aftermath disrupted their livelihood. Following the fall of Saigon in 1975, members of the family became part of the Vietnamese refugee exodus and eventually rebuilt their lives in the United States.

David Duong and his wife, Linda, left Vietnam with their young son Michael and traveled through the Philippines, where their second son, Johnny, was born. Their youngest son, Andy, was born after the family settled in the United States. David’s parents and other relatives also made their way to America. In San Francisco, 16 relatives shared two studio apartments in the Tenderloin.

The family turned to the trade it knew. David Duong, his parents and other relatives collected discarded cardboard and paper from San Francisco streets, delivered the materials to recycling buyers and used the earnings to cover household expenses. Some collections continued into the evening. A used truck, obtained with a reported $700 down payment, eventually allowed the family to move larger loads.

Their work led to a recycling warehouse in West Oakland. In 1983, the Duongs established CoGiDo Paper Corporation, expanding their operations in recovered paper and building relationships with buyers. They sold CoGiDo in 1989. Three years later, David Duong founded California Waste Solutions with eight used trucks.

FROM RECOVERED PAPER TO MUNICIPAL RECYCLING

California Waste Solutions secured its first Oakland recycling franchise in 1993 and later expanded into San José. Municipal service called for a different kind of operation than buying and selling recovered materials. Collection routes had to run on schedule, vehicles needed maintenance, and customers needed help with service questions. The company developed the drivers, dispatch teams, customer service operations and processing capacity to meet those responsibilities.

At its Bay Area facilities, employees and sorting equipment separate incoming recyclables into paper, cardboard, plastics, metals and other recoverable materials. Those commodities are prepared for processors, mills and manufacturers. Contamination, changing packaging and buyer specifications require attention throughout the process, from collection to final sorting.

Family ownership continues. David Duong works alongside his brother Victor Duong, executive vice president of public affairs, and his sister Kristina Duong, chief financial officer. David’s sons Michael Duong, president, and Johnny Duong, chief operating officer, also hold senior leadership roles. Their work is supported by the employees who operate collection routes, maintain trucks, staff facilities and respond to customers.

EQUIPMENT UPGRADES AND NEIGHBORHOOD WORK

California Waste Solutions is investing in equipment to manage changing recycling streams and improve material recovery. In September 2026, it announced separate upgrades at two facilities. At the Timothy material recovery facility in San José, the company is expanding Pellenc optical-sorting capacity to separate selected recyclables. At its 10th Street facility in Oakland, it is installing EverestLabs artificial-intelligence scanners designed to identify and count materials moving through the line and show operators where additional recovery may be possible.

The technologies perform different jobs: optical sorters separate materials, while AI scanners provide data to guide operations. The announced upgrades are intended to improve recovery and material quality; the company has not presented them as independently verified performance gains.

Its work also extends beyond the processing line. In September 2026, California Waste Solutions provided two trucks for an Oakland community cleanup, helping remove illegally dumped waste from neighborhood streets.

ENVIRONMENTAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN VIETNAM

David Duong later returned to the country where his father had owned the family recycling business. Through Vietnam Waste Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of California Waste Solutions, the family developed the Da Phuoc Integrated Waste Treatment Complex near Ho Chi Minh City. The operation manages municipal waste using engineered landfill systems, leachate and wastewater treatment, and landfill-gas controls. Existing landfill-gas recovery also supports electricity generation at the site.

The companies are pursuing a separate proposed waste-to-energy development at Da Phuoc, involving more than $500 million in planned investment. The proposal contemplates processing approximately 3,000 tons of municipal waste per day and generating about 60 megawatts of electricity. That plant is not operating; the proposal remains subject to government approvals and development.

The family’s involvement in Vietnam also includes education. Through Vietnam Waste Solutions, made a $5 million scholarship commitment to Fulbright University Vietnam, comprising an initial $1 million contribution and a further $4 million matching commitment. In the United States, California Waste Solutions documented more than 100 charitable contributions and sponsorships from 2020 through 2026, supporting food assistance, youth activities, education and pandemic relief.

A STORY CARRIED ACROSS GENERATIONS

The family’s history is the subject of “The King of Trash,” a documentary directed by Errol Webber. The film follows David and his relatives through their refugee experience, early recycling work in San Francisco and the development of California Waste Solutions. Bay Area screenings in September 2026 brought that history to audiences ahead of the company’s anniversary.

The story extends beyond its founder. David’s father owned the original business in Vietnam. His parents, Linda and other relatives helped rebuild a livelihood in San Francisco. David Duong established California Waste Solutions, while his siblings, sons and employees helped develop the municipal recycling operation it is today. The family’s business now spans two countries, but its daily responsibilities in California remain concrete: collecting recyclables, processing recovered materials and serving the communities where the Duongs started over.

ABOUT CALIFORNIA WASTE SOLUTIONS

Founded in Oakland in 1992 by David Duong, California Waste Solutions is a family-owned recycling and resource recovery company serving residential, commercial and municipal customers in Northern California, including Oakland and San José. Its services include collection, sorting, customer support and material recovery. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Vietnam Waste Solutions, the company also operates municipal waste-treatment infrastructure near Ho Chi Minh City.

Headquarters: 1211 Embarcadero, Suite 300, Oakland, CA 94606. Learn more at https://www.calwaste.com/

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