Through subsidiary Vietnam Waste Solutions, CWS expects regular UAV operations in October 2026 after flight permits and operator certification are granted; the program would be the first large-scale aerial environmental-control application at a Vietnamese waste-treatment site.
OAKLAND, Calif., Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — California Waste Solutions (CWS), an Oakland-based recycling and waste management company, is applying advanced environmental technology to its operations in Vietnam. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Vietnam Waste Solutions (VWS), CWS is preparing to deploy industrial drones for odor control and disinfection at the Da Phuoc Integrated Waste Management Facility in Ho Chi Minh City.
California Waste Solutions subsidiary VWS to launch industrial UAVs in Vietnam for odor control and worker safety.
Regular flight operations are expected to begin in October 2026, once the company has completed required legal procedures and obtained flight permits under Vietnam’s regulations governing unmanned aircraft. Preparations are being conducted to strict standards, with particular emphasis on legal compliance, airspace authorization and certification of flight-control personnel.
Under the program, VWS will use industrial UAVs to spray biological treatment products over active waste-receiving areas, landfill cells and other odor-sensitive zones at Da Phuoc Integrated Waste Management Facility. The drones will help neutralize odors and disinfect surfaces from the air before contaminants disperse more widely, while replacing higher-risk manual spraying work that currently requires crews to operate in close proximity to waste and treatment chemicals.
“We are really excited about these environmentally friendly UAVs. Just as in California, where parent company California Waste Solutions has recently introduced AI into its optical scanners to better support employees, here in Vietnam we are adding another layer of the latest technology to similarly assist our Vietnamese workers with the daily tasks they undertake. Once approved, the plan for the new drones will also benefit the environment and the people of Ho Chi Minh City. It is really a game-changer,” said David Duong, Founder & Owner of California Waste Solutions.
The rollout will make Vietnam Waste Solutions the first waste-treatment company in Vietnam to apply intelligent aerial equipment to routine, large-scale environmental control at an integrated solid-waste facility. The investment is part of a broader modernization of environmental services and is consistent with national policy encouraging enterprises to apply advanced technology, automation and artificial intelligence in operations and environmental protection, including the National Strategy on Digital Transformation and Innovation.
READY TO FLY
Vietnam Waste Solutions has conducted multiple trial drone flights at Da Phuoc to evaluate economic efficiency, coverage quality and environmental improvement before committing to a regular operating schedule. Those trials informed the decision to move from experimental use to a standardized, permit-based program using higher-capacity industrial aircraft.
While VWS is technically ready to fly the drones immediately, the company will not deploy them until all required permissions have been received. The approval process includes flight-route planning, coordination with competent authorities regarding low-altitude operations over an active waste-treatment facility, and standardization of the operating workforce so that personnel meet required qualifications and hold flight-control certification.
“Being a step ahead in demonstrating our leadership in employing environmental technologies is consistent with what we have done throughout our history since starting in Ho Chi Minh City in the mid-2000s. Back then, we said we wanted to build the only U.S.-type Subtitle D-standard landfill and we were willing to invest in the technology to do so. Once again, with this new UAV initiative, Vietnam Waste Solutions is taking the lead in the way it continuously deploys investment in Vietnam,” said Michael Duong, President of California Waste Solutions.
Spraying by UAV is expected to be 50 to 70 times faster than manual methods, allowing tens of thousands of square meters to be treated within minutes, optimizing operating time and resources while reducing the amount of time that active working areas and leachate surfaces remain untreated.
Automated flight mapping, meanwhile, is intended to produce repeatable coverage rather than operator-dependent patterns, with intelligent precision spraying and real-time assessment supporting proactive control instead of reactive, ground-only response.
The technology produces a fine atomized spray so that treatment can occur in the air column and on exposed surfaces before odors, bacteria and other contaminants have an opportunity to travel off-site. The system can also be tasked with insect-control spraying where required.
Operations will be flown only on authorized routes and schedules as permitted. Safety protocols for an active landfill, including weather limits, obstacle clearance around facilities and vehicles, and coordination with ground crews, will be incorporated into standard operating procedures before regular service begins.
“Everything has been meticulously planned ahead of time, and once we receive the permissions to operate the new UAVs, the substantial investment we have made in this state-of-the-art technology is going to provide an immediate benefit to employees, customers and local residents,” said David Duong. “Thanks to Ho Chi Minh City’s visionary local government leadership, we feel that the time is very close when we can see the first few drones in the air.”
EMPLOYEE SAFETY FIRST
In earlier trial work at Da Phuoc, staff reported that a receiving-area spraying task that typically required six workers could be performed by a single trained operator when an unmanned sprayer was used. The aircraft could also treat areas that crews could not safely or practically reach.
For employees, the shift from backpack and vehicle-mounted spraying to remotely piloted application increases labor productivity and reduces workers’ direct and prolonged exposure to chemicals and biological products. One of the biggest benefits will be protecting the long-term health of employees at a facility that operates continuously and handles more than half of Ho Chi Minh City’s daily waste.
“Our employees are the heart and soul of Vietnam Waste Solutions, which is a family company first and foremost. We don’t see investment in our employees as an expense, but as a long-term driver of additional revenue. After all, the healthier and happier your workers are, the more productive they are, and the better the operations of the business become as a result. We have always operated with that principle first in mind,” said David Duong.
The new initiative reflects the increasing trend among market leaders in Vietnam toward modernizing environmental protection and encouraging businesses to apply advanced technology, automation and AI in commercial operations and environmental protection.
The program has received positive assessments from local government authorities familiar with the facility’s odor-control work. Automating a portion of environmental monitoring and treatment reduces dependence on manual labor for hazardous, weather-sensitive tasks and improves the efficiency of urban environmental control, an area Ho Chi Minh City has been actively promoting.
“This is really a major part of our community-relations efforts, which, as we like to say at California Waste Solutions and Vietnam Waste Solutions, are continuous and always improving. It is a really exciting new technology and one we think many of our competitors are likely to copy. In that respect, it is always nice being first,” said Michael Duong, President of California Waste Solutions.
UAV TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS — DJI AGRAS T100
The aircraft designated for the regular program is the DJI Agras T100, an industrial UAV configured for high-volume spraying. Company reference specifications for the platform are as follows:
Flight dimensions of 3,220 mm by 3,224 mm by 975 mm; folded dimensions of 1,105 mm by 1,265 mm by 975 mmLiquid payload of up to 100 litersSpraying capacity of up to 40 liters per minute; spreading capacity of up to 400 kilograms per minute where granular application is usedMaximum operating flight speed of 20 meters per secondEffective spraying performance in the field of approximately 10 to 18 hectares per hour, depending on application rate, wind and terrainGPS-RTK positioning for centimeter-class accuracy on pre-programmed, automated flight paths
HISTORY OF DA PHUOC AND VIETNAM WASTE SOLUTIONS
Vietnam Waste Solutions is the investor, developer and operator of the Da Phuoc Integrated Waste Management Facility, a large-scale integrated solid-waste management complex in what is now Hung Long Commune, Ho Chi Minh City.
The facility is designed to receive up to 10,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste per day and is one of the principal treatment sites serving the city. Published operating figures for Da Phuoc Integrated Waste Management Facility in recent periods have ranged from approximately 4,000 to 6,500 tonnes per day, representing more than 50 percent of Ho Chi Minh City’s daily municipal waste, depending on municipal allocation.
VWS is a wholly owned Vietnamese subsidiary of Oakland, California-based California Waste Solutions, Inc. (CWS) and has operated Da Phuoc since November 2007 under a long-term public-private arrangement. Da Phuoc was developed as Vietnam’s first sanitary-landfill model based on U.S. Subtitle D standards.
Existing operations include sanitary landfill management, recycling and material recovery, composting, leachate and wastewater treatment with treated-water reuse, and landfill-gas collection for on-site electricity generation.
Vietnam Waste Solutions has consistently been a leader in odor management, implementing extensive landfill-covering protocols, disinfection and biological-product spraying, specialized waste-truck washing systems, and landfill-gas collection and electricity generation measures designed to limit environmental impacts outside the facility.
VWS is accelerating the proposed Da Phuoc waste-to-energy project, representing a proposed investment of more than half a billion U.S. dollars and capacity of up to 50–60 megawatts, while continuing to invest in development of the Green Environmental Technology Park in Tay Ninh Province, in the area formerly within Long An Province.
ABOUT CALIFORNIA WASTE SOLUTIONS
Founded in 1992 by David Duong, California Waste Solutions provides recycling collection, processing, customer service and material recovery for residential, commercial and municipal customers in Northern California, including Oakland and San José.
Through its subsidiary Vietnam Waste Solutions, the company also operates large-scale environmental infrastructure in Ho Chi Minh City.
Headquarters: 1211 Embarcadero, Suite 300, Oakland, CA 94606. www.calwaste.com.
MEDIA CONTACT
Wendy Nguyen
PR & Marketing Manager
California Waste Solutions
wendynguyen@calwaste.com
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SOURCE California Waste Solutions
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