The life of David Duong and his family is an American and Vietnamese success story, one built on both resilience in the face of challenges and a steady commitment to environmental service. After losing everything following the fall of Saigon in 1975, the Duong family moved across the sea and made a new home in San Francisco. Their experiences became the foundation for a multigenerational business in waste management and sustainability. Over the years, David’s eldest son, Michael Duong, began learning the company’s operations, while his siblings, Kristina and Victor, played crucial roles in financial management, community partnerships, and strategic growth. Together, they support a family mission that spans two continents.
Their journey of perseverance is chronicled in the documentary The King of Trash. The film captures the family’s impact in both the United States and Vietnam and shows how Michael, along with David’s siblings Kristina and Victor, carries forward the values that shaped the Duong family’s early years in San Francisco.
The American Dream, Built One Truck at a Time
Inspired by their father’s example and guided by a commitment to family unity, the Duong family founded the CoGiDo Paper Corporation in 1983 with $700 and one used truck. After selling the company to a major corporation in 1989, a turning point that provided both experience and capital, they launched California Waste Solutions (CWS) in 1992 with eight used trucks and a steadily growing team. What began as a modest operation has since grown into one of the largest family-owned recycling enterprises in the United States, built route by route through hard work and integrity.
Today, California Waste Solutions operates on a much larger scale, processing around 1,000 tons of material per week in Oakland and a substantial 1,300 tons per week in San Jose. For over thirty years, California Waste Solutions has consistently served hundreds of thousands of Bay Area households and commercial customers, building an impressive track record in a generally competitive industry.
Sustainable Waste Management in Vietnam
Motivated by a desire to give back and honor their heritage, the family expanded their mission to Vietnam, leading to the founding of Vietnam Waste Solutions (VWS) and introducing modern, large-scale waste management to Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam Waste Solutions developed major sustainability sites, including the Da Phuoc Integrated Waste Management Facility and the Long An Green Environmental Technology Park.
Today, Vietnam Waste Solutions’s scope is large, and the facility manages up to 7,500 tons of waste daily, serving millions of residents and establishing it as one of the largest operations of its kind in Southeast Asia. The ability of California Waste Solutions, Oakland, California Waste Solutions, San Jose, and Vietnam Waste Solutions to successfully operate in tandem across both the US and Southeast Asia is due to the work of their founder and CEO, who sets them apart from many other companies. This dual-country capability is a unique feature of the company and demonstrates the family’s technical expertise and ability to bridge worlds in pursuit of environmental sustainability.
© David Duong
The Greater Community Impact
Beyond business success, David Duong has built a long-standing record of community investment that reflects his belief that progress must be shared. His contributions span education, healthcare, disaster relief, cultural preservation, and youth development, each aimed at expanding opportunity and strengthening the communities that shaped him.
In education, Duong established a $5 million Fulbright-affiliated scholarship initiative to make global learning accessible to more students, with $1 million already deployed and the remaining amount structured to encourage long-term participation. In healthcare, he has provided direct financial support to cancer patients in critical need.
Cultural and community preservation remains another consistent focus: Duong has supported Vietnamese language and cultural schools with more than $46,000 in donations, helping younger generations stay connected to their heritage. During moments of crisis, he mobilized more than $105,000 in humanitarian aid for communities devastated by Typhoon Yagi, ensuring relief reached families quickly.
In the United States, his support of the Oakland Dynamites youth football team enabled young athletes to compete on the national stage, reinforcing his belief that every child deserves access to opportunity. Together, these efforts show a philanthropic approach rooted not in charity alone, but in a commitment to strengthening communities on both sides of the Pacific.
At its core, The King of Trash’s story is ultimately about turning hardship into long-term community improvement. The Duong family’s businesses are guided by the simple principle that nothing, and no one, should ever be wasted. David Duong’s leadership has helped them thrive in an industry often dominated by major corporations by combining large-company capability with family-driven determination.
The King of Trash documentary highlights the family’s journey as a human story of resilience, immigration, contribution, and the important work of recycling. It also reflects the real environmental progress of green technology and long-term partnerships, with a focus on public service on a truly international scale.
