David Duong has lived the American dream and is now sharing it in a new documentary film called “The King of Trash.” Duong’s immigrant story started in Vietnam and flourished in the United States, where he founded a recycling company that services hundreds of thousands of homes each week in Oakland and San Jose.
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 is a documentary that traces a refugee family’s experience with resilience, renewal, and community service,” a spokesperson for the film says. The documentary frames Duong not only as a recycling leader but as a Vietnamese American entrepreneur whose cross-Pacific work with California Waste Solutions and Vietnam Waste Solutions has contributed to the development of modern waste management systems in the regions they serve.
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A Refugee Success Story
After the fall of Saigon in 1975, the Duong family lost everything, including David’s father’s recycling business. Fleeing Vietnam by boat, the family eventually landed in the United States with nothing but each other. By making a meager living by collecting recyclables at night, the family survived together in a small apartment. These early scenes are featured prominently in The King of Trash, reminding audiences that many immigrant families begin their American journey through physically demanding work that often goes unseen.
David explains that his father’s belief that “there is honor in every kind of honest work” guided the family through those difficult times. Eventually, the family started the CoGiDo Paper Corporation, which they later sold in 1989. CoGiDo served as the family’s first foothold in the U.S. recycling industry, with just one truck, laying the foundation for what would eventually become California Waste Solutions (CWS), which started with eight trucks and became a well-established recycling provider in the Bay Area.
Three years later, in 1992, David founded California Waste Solutions (CWS), inspired by his father’s business in Vietnam. Jim Thu Tai Duong was known as “Vua Rác,” which translates to “King of Trash.” Jim had instilled in his children the belief that “nothing should be wasted: not materials, not opportunity, and not human potential.” With his father’s legacy in mind, David built California Waste Solutions from the ground up with the support of his family and the determination to succeed. Duong’s leadership style was shaped not only by business instincts but by the cultural responsibility of honoring his father’s legacy and lifting future generations.
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Recycling Innovation And Environmental Sustainability
Three decades after its founding, California Waste Solutions is among the larger family-owned recycling companies operating in the United States. The company processes roughly 1,000 tons per week in Oakland and up to 1,300 tons per week in San Jose, positioning California Waste Solutions as a significant participant in California’s recycling and waste management ecosystem. Additionally, David is one of the first overseas Vietnamese entrepreneurs to reinvest in his homeland by founding Vietnam Waste Solutions (VWS). David also developed the Da Phuoc Integrated Waste Management Facility in Ho Chi Minh City. It is among the earliest large-scale integrated waste management facilities in Southeast Asia. The Da Phuoc Integrated Waste Management Facility introduced international-standard landfill engineering, leachate treatment, and large-scale environmental monitoring at a time when Ho Chi Minh City urgently needed modern solutions.
The success of both companies has been built on the values passed down from David’s parents. Honesty, hard work, gratitude, and service are the foundation of the family’s ethics and businesses. To this day, the business is family-run, with various family members filling vital roles.
David and his family have overcome many obstacles, with David especially facing skepticism and bias. The documentary addresses these misconceptions directly, offering transparency about how large-scale recycling systems actually operate in both the United States and Vietnam. He has adhered to the core values his parents instilled in him to build a strong reputation.
David is not only a successful businessman carrying on his family’s long-standing approach to business and community responsibility, but he is also committed to sustainable practices and environmental stewardship. His goal is to build “cleaner cities, greener solutions, and opportunities.” He wants to help support families that are facing the challenges his family once faced. This mission guides both California Waste Solutions and Vietnam Waste Solutions as they invest in cleaner technology, workforce development, and community education.
A Film About The American Dream
The “King of Trash” documentary shares the story of David and his family through all the moments that nearly crushed them and the triumphs that followed. The story spans two countries and five decades, covering multiple generations. The filmmakers aimed to tell the Duong story in an “honest and accessible” way.
“The film had to balance deeply personal family history with large-scale environmental work, all while navigating sensitive topics such as refugee trauma, public misunderstanding, and the realities of building a business as immigrants,” a spokesperson says.
David Duong and his family represent a multi-generational commitment to recycling and waste management, built through persistence, service, and long-term responsibility. What began as survival work evolved into an enterprise that supports municipal services, infrastructure needs, and environmental initiatives, a family story of resilience, service, and environmental responsibility that continues to shape the communities they serve.
In Partnership with APG
