California Waste Solutions(CWS)

What California Waste Solutions(CWS) does

California Waste Solutions (CWS) is a privately held, family-owned municipal waste management and recycling company founded in Oakland, California in 1992 by David Duong, a Vietnamese refugee who arrived in the United States in 1975. CWS provides residential and commercial waste collection, recycling processing, and resource recovery services primarily under municipal franchise contracts with the City of Oakland and the City of San Jose. The company processes approximately 2,300 tons of municipal solid waste and recyclables per week across its two California operations (~1,000 tons/week in Oakland and ~1,300 tons/week in San Jose), serving hundreds of thousands of Bay Area households. Its go-to-market is direct-to-government via municipal contracts, with no disclosed commercial or industrial customer diversification.

The underlying technology is conventional municipal solid waste processing and recycling infrastructure, with no proprietary AI/ML, software, or digital platform components disclosed in available materials. The company employs 11–50 staff and operates with a basic company website (calwaste.com) as its primary digital presence; it has no app, no API, no disclosed integrations, and no patents or trademarks on record. Revenue mechanics are governed by municipal contract terms — pricing is not publicly disclosed and is presumably negotiated directly with city governments. The company has no disclosed institutional funding, no private equity involvement, and no public listing; it is entirely founder- and family-controlled.

The Duong family's waste management expertise extends internationally through the affiliated Vietnam Waste Solutions (VWS) operation, which manages over 7,500 tons of waste per day in Ho Chi Minh City and has developed major environmental infrastructure including the Da Phuoc Waste Management Facility and Long An Green Environmental Technology Park. VWS is managed by the Duong family but is a separate entity. Founder David Duong has additionally established a $5 million Fulbright-affiliated scholarship initiative and was the subject of the 2026 documentary 'The King of Trash' by Oscar-winning cinematographer Errol Webber, signaling an emphasis on brand and civic-identity positioning alongside core operations.

Name

California Waste Solutions(CWS)

Legal name

California Waste Solutions

Website

https://calwaste.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

California Waste Solutions (CWS) is a family-owned municipal waste management and recycling company founded in 1992 in Oakland, California, serving the Cities of Oakland and San Jose under franchise contracts and processing approximately 2,300 tons of waste and recyclables per week.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Municipal Waste Management Services: CWS provides waste collection, recycling, and resource recovery services to municipal governments, processing approximately 1,000 tons per week in Oakland and 1,300 tons per week in San Jose, serving hundreds of thousands of Bay Area households.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

California Waste Solutions is a family-owned municipal waste management and recycling service provider that operates under direct government contracts with the City of Oakland and the City of San Jose. The company collects, processes, and recycles municipal solid waste, running two California facilities that together handle approximately 2,300 tons of waste and recyclables per week while serving hundreds of thousands of Bay Area households.

Product overview

California Waste Solutions is a single, unified waste management and recycling service operation. The company provides residential and commercial waste collection, recycling processing, and resource recovery services primarily serving Oakland and San Jose in the Bay Area. The operation processes approximately 2,300 tons of waste weekly across its two California facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• California Waste Solutions (CWS) — Bay Area Waste Management and Recycling Municipal solid waste collection, recycling processing, and resource recovery services delivered under direct contracts with the City of Oakland and the City of San Jose, processing approximately 1,000 tons per week in Oakland and up to 1,300 tons per week in San Jose and serving hundreds of thousands of Bay Area households.

Quantifiable outcome

• Processes approximately 2,300 tons per week of municipal solid waste and recyclables across Bay Area operations

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Vietnam Waste Solutions (VWS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily-affiliated international operation managed by the Duong family, managing over 7,500 tons of waste per day in Ho Chi Minh City. Has developed major environmental infrastructure projects including the Da Phuoc Waste Management Facility and Long An Green Environmental Technology Park. Represents the international expansion and operational extension of the family's waste management expertise.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Rumpke Consolidated Companies: Privately held regional waste and recycling company serving Ohio and surrounding states with municipal and commercial contracts. Comparable family-controlled regional hauler with integrated collection and materials recovery operations.
• Athens Services: Family-owned Southern California waste and recycling company serving municipalities with collection and MRF operations. Comparable in scale, ownership structure, and municipal service orientation though operating in a different sub-region.
• Burrtec Waste Industries: California-focused waste hauler serving municipal and commercial customers across Southern California. Comparable regional positioning and municipal contract profile to CWS.
• EDCO Disposal: Southern California waste and recycling company serving municipal and commercial accounts with collection and MRF operations. Comparable operating model and scale to CWS, though in a different sub-region.
• Casella Waste Systems: Northeast US regional solid waste, recycling, and resource management company serving municipal and commercial customers. Comparable in scale and vertically integrated collection-to-MRF model, though operating in a different geography.

Broad incumbents

• Republic Services: Second-largest US waste services company with integrated collection, recycling, and disposal operations. Key competitor in California municipal contract rebids and a frequent incumbent on West Coast hauler contracts.
• Waste Management, Inc. Largest US waste services provider with integrated collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal assets nationwide. Competes with CWS for municipal contract rebids and serves as the benchmark for industry economics and capital intensity.
• Waste Connections: Major North American solid waste services provider with strong West Coast presence through acquired regional haulers. Competes for transfer station and recycling contracts across California.

Direct peers

• Recology: Bay Area-headquartered employee-owned waste and recycling company serving municipalities across Northern California with collection, transfer, and MRF operations. Most directly comparable peer given shared geography, municipal contract base, and integrated recycling model.
• GreenWaste Recovery: San Jose-based recycling and waste diversion company serving Bay Area municipalities with MRF and organics processing. Directly competes with CWS in its home territory and matches its municipal service focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CalWasteSol
• Facebookfacebook.com/CAWasteSolutions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/california-solutions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about California Waste Solutions(CWS)