The King of Trash extends Bay Area screening run

The 72-minute documentary about the Duong family’s journey from the fall of Saigon to building California Waste Solutions is continuing with screenings in Dublin, San Jose and Emeryville. The Bay Area dates highlight a multigenerational recycling story that connects refugee resettlement, business growth and Vietnamese American community history.

Why it matters: - The film turns a family business story into a wider account of Vietnamese refugee resilience, Bay Area entrepreneurship and the role recycling played in rebuilding a life after war. - The screening run brings the story back to the region where the Duong family rebuilt in the United States and later grew a major recycling operation. - The Bay Area events are part of a broader public rollout that also includes a festival appearance in Utah.

What happened: - California Waste Solutions and the producers of The King of Trash are continuing the documentary’s Bay Area screening run with events in Dublin, San Jose and Emeryville. - The 72-minute documentary screens Saturday, Sept. 19, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Regal Hacienda Crossings in Dublin. - The final VIP pre-screening takes place Saturday, Sept. 26, from 4 to 8 p.m. at AMC Eastridge 15 in San Jose. - The Bay Area public screening series continues Saturday, Oct. 3, from 5 to 8 p.m. at AMC Bay Street 16 in Emeryville. - Advance registration is required for the public screenings, and seating is limited. - Event details and registration are available at More information. - Media inquiries and access requests for the San Jose event may be directed to info@thekingoftrash.us.

The details: - The King of Trash is directed by filmmaker and cinematographer Errol Webber and produced by Webber and Bobby Vu. - The film follows four generations of the Duong family across China, Vietnam and the United States. - The documentary traces repeated loss, migration and rebuilding, including the family’s former recycling business in Vietnam and the later creation of California Waste Solutions in California. - The story centers on David Duong and family members who later built California Waste Solutions and Vietnam Waste Solutions. - David Duong’s grandfather built a business in China before the family had to start over in Vietnam. - Jim Tai Thu Duong founded a recovered-paper business in Vietnam and became known among traders as “the King of Trash.” - In April 1975, the family lost its business and property in Vietnam and fled by boat. - The family reached the Philippines, spent time in a refugee camp and was later resettled in the United States. - More than a dozen relatives shared an apartment in San Francisco’s Tenderloin after arriving in the city. - The family collected bottles, cardboard, paper and other recyclables from San Francisco streets at night and worked, studied English and attended school during the day. - In 1983, the family founded CoGiDo Paper Corporation. - CoGiDo grew over six years before a larger U.S. waste company acquired the business in 1989. - David Duong stayed with the acquiring company and gained experience in municipal contracting and public recycling services. - In 1992, David Duong bought eight used trucks and founded California Waste Solutions in Oakland. - California Waste Solutions now provides recycling services in Oakland and San Jose. - The company serves more than 343,000 customers in the Bay Area and processes more than 717,000 tons of material annually. - California Waste Solutions handles collection, processing, customer service and the marketing of recovered commodities. - David Duong serves as Founder and CEO, Michael Duong as President, Johnny Duong as Chief Operating Officer, Kristina Duong as Chief Financial Officer and Victor Duong as Executive Vice President of Public Affairs. - The documentary is dedicated to Jim Tai Thu Duong and Anh Thi Le. - In the early 2000s, David Duong returned to Vietnam as an investor and became involved in environmental infrastructure development. - Through Vietnam Waste Solutions, the family developed the Da Phuoc Integrated Waste Management Facility, an approximately 341-acre site serving the Ho Chi Minh City region. - During the COVID-19 pandemic, David and Victor Duong supported production and distribution of masks and sanitizer, with millions of protective items donated in California, according to family and company records. - The family also sent 1,200 oxygen concentrators to hospitals in Vietnam during the pandemic. - David Duong serves as chair of the Vietnamese American Business Association, which has more than 2,000 members. - The film is scheduled to appear at the 2026 Red Rock Film Festival in Utah on Friday, Sept. 25. - Complete Bay Area event information is available at festival journey details.

Between the lines: - The documentary frames recycling as both a survival strategy and a business model, showing how skills learned in Vietnam and San Francisco carried through multiple stages of rebuilding. - The family’s story also mirrors a broader Vietnamese American experience: refugee arrival, limited resources, long hours in low-profile work and gradual economic mobility. - The Bay Area screenings give local audiences a story that is geographically close, since San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose all played key roles in the family’s path.

What's next: - The Dublin, San Jose and Emeryville events will continue the Bay Area rollout through early October. - The San Jose VIP screening is expected to draw David Duong, family members, cast and director Errol Webber. - The film’s festival stop in Utah will come between the Dublin and San Jose screenings.

The bottom line: - The King of Trash uses one family’s recycling business to tell a larger story about displacement, adaptation and building something lasting from repeated loss.