California Waste Solutions plans more than $500 million Vietnam waste-to-energy project

California Waste Solutions is expanding its environmental investments in Vietnam with a proposed Da Phuoc waste-to-energy facility that would cost more than half a billion dollars, process 3,000 tons of waste a day and generate 60 megawatts of electricity. The project is part of a broader push to grow waste treatment capacity in Ho Chi Minh City and support Vietnam’s 2050 net-zero goal.

Why it matters: - California Waste Solutions is tying its California recycling business to a larger buildout of waste infrastructure in Ho Chi Minh City. - The proposed project could add major waste-processing and power-generation capacity to Vietnam’s waste system. - The company says the expansion would support Vietnam’s net-zero target for 2050 and Ho Chi Minh City’s Net Zero 2030 goal.

What happened: - California Waste Solutions and its wholly owned subsidiary, Vietnam Waste Solutions, outlined plans for a new waste-to-energy project at Da Phuoc in Ho Chi Minh City. - The project is expected to require more than half a billion dollars in investment. - The facility is planned to process 3,000 tons of waste per day and generate 60 megawatts of electricity. - Construction is expected to begin after investment-policy approval, with operations projected within 18 to 24 months.

The details: - California Waste Solutions was founded in Oakland in 1992 by David Duong. - The company serves more than 343,000 customers across Oakland and San Jose and operates six Bay Area recycling facilities. - California operations include collection, processing, material recovery, municipal recycling, household battery collection, used-motor-oil collection and multilingual recycling education. - The company is adding optical sorting in San Jose, artificial-intelligence scanning in Oakland and expanded curbside household battery collection in San José. - Da Phuoc Integrated Waste Treatment Complex covers 128 hectares and is designed to handle up to 10,000 tons of waste per day. - The site currently receives about 4,500 to 5,000 tons per day based on the city’s waste allocation. - The complex uses sanitary landfill technology aligned with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards. - The site includes a landfill gas-to-energy plant that can generate up to 12 megawatts. - Da Phuoc also includes a leachate treatment plant with capacity of 3,000 cubic meters per day. - The leachate system uses membrane bioreactor technology and was the first facility in Vietnam to apply it. - Treated water is reused for irrigation and washing waste-collection vehicles. - The complex also has a sorting and recycling plant with capacity of 600 tons per day and compost production from organic waste. - The new waste-to-energy project is separate from capital already committed to the existing Da Phuoc complex. - The project aims to reduce ash and residue after incineration to about 5%. - Remaining ash and residue would be recycled into construction materials and supplementary fuels. - Vietnam Waste Solutions says the project has completed documentation, technical and financial planning and technology selection. - The company also plans to excavate and process waste already stored at the landfill, then cap and rehabilitate the site as a mixed-use ecological park. - High-capacity drones for sanitation and odor control are scheduled to begin operating in October 2026. - The drones are expected to spray biological treatment products across the landfill and reduce workers’ direct exposure to treatment chemicals.

Between the lines: - The project blends waste treatment, electricity generation and landfill rehabilitation into one long-term infrastructure plan. - The investment also reflects a transfer of California recycling practices, including AI- and robotics-assisted sorting, into Vietnam. - The Green Environmental Technology Park is being positioned as more than a land lease play, with plans for clean energy, telecommunications, environmental infrastructure and an internal cargo transshipment port. - The company is aiming to create a U.S.-standard investment environment in Vietnam that helps tenants lower operating costs and meet ESG requirements.

What's next: - Vietnam Waste Solutions is seeking permits for the waste-to-energy expansion. - If investment-policy approval is granted, construction would follow and the plant would come online in 18 to 24 months. - The company is also continuing infrastructure work on the 1,760-hectare Green Environmental Technology Park. - More investment in the park is expected to follow the approved roadmap and investment policy.

The bottom line: - California Waste Solutions is moving beyond recycling to a broader international waste-to-energy strategy, with Vietnam as the main growth market.