Oakland, Calif. – September 19, 2026 -- California Waste Solutions, founded in 1992 with eight used trucks, now serves more than 343,000 customers across Oakland and San Jose and processes over 717,000 tons of recycling material annually, according to figures cited in the feature documentary "The King of Trash," which returns to Bay Area theaters this month.
Documentary tracks 34-year build from street collection to municipal contracts
Directed by Errol Webber, the film follows founder David Duong from the 1975 fall of Saigon, when he led 23 family members to sea, through a refugee camp in the Philippines to a 1979 arrival in San Francisco, where the family collected bottles and cardboard at night before founding CWS in Oakland in 1992. The company operates six Bay Area recycling facilities, processing roughly 1,000 tons weekly in Oakland and 1,300 tons weekly in San Jose, with more than three million tons managed over its history.Vietnam subsidiary manages 7,500 tons of daily waste in Ho Chi Minh City
Through subsidiary Vietnam Waste Solutions, the Duong family built the Da Phuoc Integrated Waste Management Facility and Long An Green Environmental Technology Park, which together handle up to 7,500 tons of waste per day for the Ho Chi Minh City region, introducing landfill engineering and leachate treatment systems.Family leadership spans three generations of operations
CFO Kristina Duong oversees financial operations, Victor Duong leads operations and community partnerships after starting as a driver, and David's son Michael Duong now serves as president. "Bins are placed at the curb, trucks arrive on schedule, and materials are collected without interruption," said Michael Duong, describing the coordination behind daily route operations detailed in a May 2026 company briefing.Pre-screening tour drew 5,000 attendees across eight U.S. cities
An earlier tour last year reached San Jose, Oakland, Sacramento, Orange County, Dallas, Houston, Washington, D.C., and Orlando. Nearly 1,000 people have registered or joined waiting lists for the current Bay Area screenings, and the production has been selected for the 2026 Red Rock Film Festival in Utah on September 25.Upcoming screenings include a Dublin special screening on September 19 at Regal Hacienda Crossings, a San Jose VIP pre-screening on September 26 at AMC Eastridge with Duong and Webber expected to attend, and an Emeryville screening on October 3 at AMC Bay Street.
The Duong family's philanthropic record cited in the film includes a $5 million Fulbright-affiliated scholarship initiative, more than $46,000 for Vietnamese language and cultural schools, and more than $105,000 in aid following Typhoon Yagi.