UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from ____________ to ____________

Commission File Number: 000-56148

Titan Environmental Solutions Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(248) 775-7400

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.:

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. Yes ☐ No ☒

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common stock, other than shares held by persons who may be deemed affiliates of the registrant, as of June 30, 2023, the last day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was $12,808,304, computed by reference to the closing sales price for the registrant’s common stock on June 30, 2023, as reported on The OTCQB market operated by OTC Markets Group.

There were 25,386,814 shares of the registrant’s common stock, $0.0001 par value, outstanding as of March 29, 2024.

TITAN ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS INC.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

Summary of Principal Risk Factors

As used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the terms “we”, “us”, “our” and the “Company” mean Titan Environmental Solutions Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries, taken as a whole (unless the context indicates a different meaning).

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements are contained principally in the sections titled “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Business,” but are also contained elsewhere in this report. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the words “may,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “objective,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “continue” and “ongoing,” or the negative of these terms, or other comparable terminology intended to identify statements about the future, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance or condition and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievement to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:

You should read this report, including the section titled “Risk Factors,” and the documents that we reference elsewhere in this report and have filed as exhibits to this report, completely and with the understanding that our actual results may differ materially from what we expect as expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. Furthermore, if our forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by us or any other person that we will achieve our objectives and plans in any specified time frame, or at all.

These forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this report. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise after the date of this report. All subsequent forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to herein.

SUMMARY OF PRINCIPAL RISK FACTORS

This summary briefly lists the principal risks and uncertainties facing our business, which are only a select portion of those risks. A more complete discussion of those risks and uncertainties is set forth in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report, entitled Risk Factors. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect us. If any of these risks occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. Our business is subject to the following principal risks and uncertainties:

PART I

Overview

We are an integrated provider of non-hazardous solid waste and recycling collection, transportation, transfer and disposal services. We also provide technology-enabled solutions for food waste processing, including onsite digesters for food waste, together with cloud-based software tracking and analytics solutions. We currently have the majority of our operations in Michigan but are looking to expand our presence across the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast regions of the United States.

Our principal operating subsidiary, Titan Trucking, LLC (“Titan Trucking”), which is based in Troy, Michigan, is a non-hazardous solid waste management company providing waste and recycling collection and transportation services for industrial generators, commercial contractors and transfer station operators located in Michigan. Titan Trucking began non-hazardous waste collection operations in May 2017 and completed the asset acquisitions of Century Waste, Inc and WTI Global Waste and Recycling Services, Inc. in June 2022 and December 2022, respectively. Through these companies, we currently operate a fleet of 23 vehicles. All of Titan Trucking’s revenue for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was derived from the provision of roll-off, rubber wheel and long-haul tractor trailer services to its customers.

In January 2023, Recoup Technologies, Inc. (“Recoup Technologies”) was formed to serve as our food waste digester operating company and acquired technologies and equipment for on-site biological processing of food waste, as well as proprietary real-time data analytics tools to reduce food waste generation. These proprietary solutions can enable businesses, including restaurants, hotels and other hospitality venues, cruise ships and educational facilities of all sizes to lower disposal costs while having a positive impact on the environment. We believe our food processing solutions can reduce the carbon footprint associated with waste transportation, repurpose non-recyclable plastics, and significantly reduce landfill usage.

Our Operating Strategy

Our objective is to expand the geographic scope of our operations and to become one of the leading providers of non-hazardous solid waste management in each market that we serve. Our operating strategy to achieve this objective is to capitalize on the continuing consolidation of the solid waste management industry by (i) identifying and penetrating new markets and expanding our operations in our existing markets through tuck-in acquisitions that are combined with existing operations, (ii) increasing profitability by vertically integrating our operations and achieving economies of scale, and (iii) internalizing greater volumes of disposal waste through the acquisition of strategic landfills and transfer stations, and (iv) achieving internal growth. We will seek to avoid highly-competitive, large urban markets and instead target markets in which we can attain high market share either through exclusive contracts, vertical integration or asset positioning. We will seek to be among the leading providers of waste services in most of our markets. The key components of our operating strategy, which are tailored to the competitive and regulatory factors that affect our markets, are as follows:

Waste Industry Overview

With an estimated $73.7 billion market share for 2023, the waste collection services industry focuses on collecting hazardous and nonhazardous waste and recyclable materials. Nonhazardous waste includes municipal solid waste, household waste, and industrial and commercial waste. The industry also includes the operations of transfer stations where waste is relocated from local vehicles to long-distance vehicles like long haul trucks or trains for transport to disposal facilities or sorted for further processing. Given the utility-like nature of trash and recyclable material collection, the industry is highly recession resistant. While it has been immune to technological disruptions, the ability to leverage new technologies, such as automated and energy-efficient vehicles, represent a new benefit to businesses, which is expected to continue over the coming years.

During the past four decades, our industry has experienced periods of substantial consolidation activity; however, we believe significant fragmentation remains. We believe that there are two primary factors that lead to consolidation:

Management believes that the larger public companies as well as those backed by private equity firms target the larger revenue generating companies available in their respective markets leaving smaller sellers with less access to acquirers. We will focus on those niche smaller opportunities where we can take advantage of our entrepreneurial approach.

Operations

Through our subsidiaries, we provide solid waste collection services to approximately 475 industrial and commercial customers in the Metropolitan Detroit, Michigan area. In the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, substantially all of our collection revenue was derived from services provided to industrial customers. However, it is our intention to increase substantially the revenues we derive in our current business operations from services provided to commercial customers. We also expect to acquire companies that derive significant revenues from commercial and residential customers.

Collection Services. Collection involves picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility (“MRF”) or disposal site. We generally will provide collection services under one of two types of arrangements:

In our roll off waste collection operations, we supply our customers with waste containers of various sizes of dumpsters that are primarily used for construction and demolition debris but can also be used for municipal waste and recyclable materials. These containers are designed so that they can be lifted mechanically on to a collection truck to be transported to a disposal facility. By using these containers, we can service our customers with trucks operated by a single employee. Roll off collection services are not generally performed under long-term service agreements but are provided on an “on call” basis. In certain cases, contract terms may apply but tend to be shorter in length, in some cases having terms of only six months, and may vary according to the customers’ underlying projects. Fees are generally charged in one of two ways: fixed fee per pick up depending on the size of equipment provided, or separate fees for transportation of the dumpster provided added to the disposal cost for materials deposited in our equipment and disposed of. Disposal fees can vary depending on type of material and origin of the waste.

Additionally, we rent rubber wheel trailers to smaller generators of waste such as homeowners and small commercial contractors. Rubber wheel trailers are primarily used for clean up debris and in some cases smaller quantities of construction and demolition debris. Rubber wheel trailers generally cause less trauma to customer property and are more convenient to load or relocate on a customer location. We tow the rubber wheel trailers with our standard vehicles and transport them with the waste to either a landfill or a transfer station for disposal. Fees for rubber wheel services are similar to those for roll off collection services.

Transportation and Disposal Services. All solid waste management companies must have access to a disposal facility, such as a solid waste landfill. While landfills are the main depositories for solid waste in North America, the significant capital requirements of developing and operating a landfill serve as a barrier to landfill ownership, and, thus, we currently utilize third party disposal facilities. It is usually preferable for our collection operations to use disposal facilities that we own or operate, rather than using third-party disposal facilities, which generally allows us to realize higher consolidated margins and stronger operating cash flows. The fees charged at disposal facilities, which are referred to as tipping fees, are based on several factors, including our cost to construct, maintain and close the landfill, the distance to an alternative disposal facility, the type and weight or volume of solid waste deposited and competition.

In many cases where waste generators are not within close proximity to landfills, waste is disposed of at transfer stations. Transfer stations act as intermediary facilities where smaller quantities of waste can be delivered and consolidated into vehicles capable of transporting larger quantities of material. Transfer station operators can achieve economies of scale by transporting these larger quantities. Transportation from transfer stations is normally provided via tractor trailer style vehicles but can also be achieved using alternate transportation means such as rail or barge. Transfer station operators normally charge a fee for volume delivered to their facility usually measured in tons or cubic yards. The main costs to transfer station operators is the disposal fee charged by the final disposal facility which can be a landfill, waste to energy facility, or other licensed disposal facility, together with the cost associated with the transportation of the material. As transfer station operators are dependent upon transporters to ultimately remove the waste delivered to their facility, these services are in high demand.

Recycling Services. Recycling involves the separation of reusable materials from the waste stream for processing and resale or other disposition. We not only collect materials from households and businesses in our service areas, we also sell them to manufacturers to be recycled and sold in the North American market. Demand for recycled materials is generally growing. Several states have recently passed minimum-recycled-content mandates, and many companies are responding to requirements for recycled content from their own customers and to meet sustainability targets. While we currently do not own any recycling facilities, as we expand our service offerings, we will seek to build or acquire such facilities in an effort to attract additional customers and increase our operating margins.

Food Waste Digester Services. Through our Recoup Technologies subsidiary, we are a leading provider of an innovative clean technology that was designed to solve the increasingly-relevant issue of food waste disposal by combining waste disposal equipment with advanced data analytics. With approximately 2.5 billion tons of food wasted each year and over 97% of such waste being sent to landfills, food waste is a serious issue that has detrimental environmental and economic implications. Our solution has attracted the attention of leading corporations and governments around the world as they strive to reduce carbon emissions and measure environmental impact while realizing a compelling return on investment.

We currently market an aerobic digestion technology solution for the disposal of food waste at the point of generation. Our line of Revolution Series Digesters are self-contained, robotic digestive systems that we believe are as easy to install as a standard dishwasher with no special electrical or plumbing requirements. Units range in size depending upon capacity, with the smallest unit approximating the size of a residential washing machine. The digesters utilize a biological process to convert up to 1,400 pounds of food waste in a 24-hour period into a liquid that we believe is safe to discharge down an ordinary drain. This process can result in a substantial reduction in costs for customers including cruise lines, restaurants, retail stores, hospitals, hotel/hospitality companies and governmental units by eliminating the transportation and logistics costs associated with food waste disposal. We also expect the process to reduce the greenhouse gases associated with food-waste transportation and decomposition in landfills that have been linked to climate change. We offer our Revolution Series Digesters in several sizes targeting small- to mid-sized food waste generation sites that are often more economical than traditional disposal methods. We also offer the microorganisms that are used with the digesters in the biological conversion process. The microorganisms are typically supplied on a monthly basis and are typically supplied for the life of the digester. Our Revolution Series Digesters are manufactured and assembled in the United States.

In an effort to expand the capabilities of our digesters, we offer a sophisticated Internet of Things (“IoT”) technology platform to provide our customers with transparency into their internal and supply chain waste generation and operational practices. This patented process collects weight-related data from the digesters to deliver real-time data that provides valuable information that when analyzed, can improve efficiency, and validate corporate sustainability efforts. We provide our IoT platform through a SaaS (“Software as a Service”) model that is either bundled in our rental agreements or sold through a separate quarterly or annual software license. We are considering adding new capacity sizes to our line of Revolution Series Digesters to meet customer needs.

Acquisition of Standard Waste Services, LLC

On January 12, 2024, we, through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Titan Trucking, entered into a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Dominic Campo and Sharon Campo (each a “Seller” and collectively, the “Sellers”), and Standard Waste Services, LLC, a Michigan limited liability company (“Standard”), pursuant to which, and subject to the terms, provisions, and conditions set forth therein, at the closing of the transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement (the “Closing”), the Sellers will sell to Titan Trucking, and Titan Trucking will purchase from the Sellers, 100% of the outstanding membership interests of Standard (the “Membership Interests”).

Standard was founded in 2017 by Dominic Campo to provide contracted commercial roll-off and front-load waste services, including dumpster compactor rentals, to customers principally in the Southeast Michigan market. Standard currently operates approximately 20 waste collection trucks servicing approximately 1,000 commercial and industrial customers. With a pipeline of additional pending new customers, Standard is expected to enable Titan Trucking to advance its commercial front-load segment by securing recurring revenue pursuant to multiyear contracts with its customers.

In connection with the Purchase Agreement, Titan Trucking paid to Sellers a cash deposit in the amount of $652,000 (the “Closing Deposit”) that is not refundable, but will reduce the Cash Consideration (as defined below) if the Closing occurs. In exchange for the Membership Interests, Titan Trucking will pay the following consideration (the “Purchase Price”): (a) $10,440,000 in cash (the “Cash Consideration”), less the Closing Deposit; provided, that, at the Closing, $300,000 of the Cash Consideration will be placed in escrow for the benefit of Titan Trucking to satisfy indemnification obligations of the Sellers; (b) an amount equal to the aggregate amount paid by Standard for purchases of new trucks and trailers for the period from June 7, 2023 through the date of the Closing (the “Closing Date”) in an amount not to exceed $533,000; (c) 273,684.21 shares of a series of our convertible preferred stock that will convert into 100 shares of common stock per share of convertible preferred stock, equal to a value of $2,610,000, (the “Investment Shares”); and (d) an additional 60,000 Investment Shares because the Closing did not occur prior to February 2, 2024. In addition, the Purchase Price shall be reduced by the amount of indebtedness of Standard as of the Closing Date and the amount of any fees and expenses of Standard or the Sellers related to the negotiation and entry into the Purchase Agreement that are not paid prior to the Closing. The Purchase Price is also subject to adjustment post-Closing based on the amount of working capital of Standard at the Closing and other adjustments as described in the Purchase Agreement.

We currently expect the Closing to occur in the second quarter of 2024, subject to applicable customary conditions for Closing for each of Titan Trucking and the Sellers contained in the Purchase Agreement. However, there can be no assurance that the Closing will occur or that we will acquire the Membership Interests.

Sales and Marketing

We focus our marketing efforts on increasing and extending business with existing customers, as well as increasing our new customer base. Our sales and marketing strategy is to provide prompt, high quality, comprehensive solid waste collection to our customers at competitive prices. We target potential customers of all sizes, from small quantity generators to large companies and municipalities. Because the waste collection and disposal business is a highly-localized business, most of our marketing activity is local in nature.

Customers

We have a diverse customer base. During the year ended December 31, 2023, our largest customer accounted for approximately 30% of our revenues. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we had two customers that accounted for 52% and 12% of our revenues, respectively. No other customer accounted for more than 10% of our revenues in either of those periods. We have no long-term agreements with any of the customers that accounted for more than 10% of our revenues in any of those periods.

Competition

The U.S. solid waste collection and disposal industry is highly competitive and, even following consolidation, remains fragmented. The industry requires substantial labor and capital resources which are barriers to entry for some. The industry presently includes large, publicly-held, national waste companies such as Republic Services, Inc. and Waste Management, Inc.; several regional, publicly-held and privately-owned companies; and several thousand small, local, privately owned companies. Our existing market and certain of the markets in which we will likely compete are served by one or more of these large, national companies, as well as by numerous privately-held regional and local solid waste companies of varying sizes and resources, some of which have accumulated substantial goodwill in their markets. We also compete with counties, municipalities and solid waste districts that maintain their own waste collection and disposal operations. Public sector operations may have financial advantages over us because of their access to user fees and similar charges, tax revenues, tax-exempt financing and the ability to flow-control waste streams to publicly owned disposal facilities.

We compete for collection based primarily on geographic location and the price and quality of our services. From time to time, our competitors may reduce the price of their services in an effort to expand their market share or service areas or to win competitively bid on contracts. These practices may cause us to reduce the price of our services or, if we elect not to do so, to lose business.

The U.S. municipal solid waste services industry has undergone significant consolidation and, as a result of this consolidation, we encounter competition in our efforts to acquire transfer stations and collection operations. Competition exists not only for collection, transfer and disposal volume but also for acquisition candidates. We generally compete for acquisition candidates with large, publicly-held waste management companies, private equity-backed firms as well as numerous privately-held regional and local solid waste companies of varying sizes and resources. Accordingly, it may become uneconomical for us to make further acquisitions or we may be unable to locate or acquire suitable acquisition candidates at price levels and on terms and conditions that we consider appropriate, particularly in markets we do not already serve. Competition in the disposal industry is also affected by the increasing national emphasis on recycling and other waste reduction programs, which may reduce the volume of waste deposited in landfills.

Regulation

Our business is subject to extensive and evolving federal, state and local environmental, health, safety and transportation laws and regulations. These laws and regulations are administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, and various other federal, state and local environmental, zoning, air, water, transportation, land use, health and safety agencies. Many of these agencies regularly inspect our operations to monitor compliance with these laws and regulations. Governmental agencies have the authority to enforce compliance with these laws and regulations and to obtain injunctions or impose civil or criminal penalties in cases of violations. We believe that regulation of the waste industry will continue to evolve, and we will need to adapt to future legal and regulatory requirements to ensure compliance.

Our operations are subject to extensive regulation, principally under the federal statutes described below.

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, as amended, or OSHA. OSHA establishes certain employer responsibilities, including maintenance of a workplace free of recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious injury, compliance with standards promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and various record keeping, disclosure and procedural requirements. Various standards, including standards for notices of hazards, safety in excavation and demolition work and the handling of asbestos, may apply to our operations.

Flow Control/Interstate Waste Restrictions. Certain permits and approvals, as well as certain state and local regulations, may limit a landfill or transfer station to accepting waste that originates from specified geographic areas, restrict the importation of out-of-state waste or wastes originating outside the local jurisdiction or otherwise discriminate against non-local waste. From time to time, federal legislation is proposed that would allow some local flow control restrictions. Although no such federal legislation has been enacted to date, if such federal legislation should be enacted in the future, states in which we use landfills could limit or prohibit the importation of out-of-state waste or direct that wastes be handled at specified facilities. These restrictions could also result in higher disposal costs for our collection operations. If we were unable to pass such higher costs through to our customers, our business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected.

State and Local Regulation. Each state in which we now operate or may operate in the future has laws and regulations governing the generation, storage, treatment, handling, transportation and disposal of solid waste, occupational safety and health, water and air pollution and, in most cases, the siting, design, operation, maintenance, closure and post-closure maintenance of landfills and transfer stations. State and local permits and approval for these operations may be required and may be subject to periodic renewal, modification or revocation by the issuing agencies. In addition, many states have adopted statutes comparable to, and in some cases more stringent than, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, or CERCLA. These statutes impose requirements for investigation and cleanup of contaminated sites and liability for costs and damages associated with such sites, and some provide for the imposition of liens on property owned by responsible parties. Furthermore, many municipalities also have ordinances, local laws and regulations affecting our operations. These include zoning and health measures that limit solid waste management activities to specified sites or activities, flow control provisions that direct or restrict the delivery of solid wastes to specific facilities, laws that grant the right to establish franchises for collection services and then put such franchises out for bid and bans or other restrictions on the movement of solid wastes into a municipality.

Certain state and local jurisdictions may also seek to enforce flow control restrictions through local legislation or contractually. In certain cases, we may elect not to challenge such restrictions. These restrictions could reduce the volume of waste going to landfills in certain areas, which may adversely affect our ability to operate our landfills at their full capacity and/or reduce the prices that we can charge for landfill disposal services. These restrictions may also result in higher disposal costs for our collection operations. If we were unable to pass such higher costs through to our customers, our business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected.

There has been an increasing trend at the state and local level to mandate and encourage waste reduction and recycling and to prohibit or restrict the disposal in landfills of certain types of solid wastes, such as construction and demolition debris, yard wastes, food waste, beverage containers, unshredded tires, lead-acid batteries, paper, cardboard and household appliances.

Many states and local jurisdictions have enacted “bad boy” laws that allow the agencies that have jurisdiction over waste services contracts or permits to deny or revoke these contracts or permits based on the applicant’s or permit holder’s compliance history. Some states and local jurisdictions go further and consider the compliance history of the parent, subsidiaries or affiliated companies, in addition to that of the applicant or permit holder. These laws authorize the agencies to make determinations of an applicant’s or permit holder’s fitness to be awarded a contract to operate and to deny or revoke a contract or permit because of unfitness unless there is a showing that the applicant or permit holder has been rehabilitated through the adoption of various operating policies and procedures put in place to assure future compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Some state and local authorities enforce certain federal laws in addition to state and local laws and regulations. For example, in some states, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or RCRA, OSHA, parts of the Clean Air Act and parts of the Clean Water Act are enforced by local or state authorities instead of the EPA, and in some states those laws are enforced jointly by state or local and federal authorities.

Public Utility Regulation. In many states, public authorities regulate the rates that landfill operators may charge.

Seasonality

Based on our industry and our historic trends, we expect our operations to vary seasonally. Typically, revenue will be highest in the second and third calendar quarters and lowest in the first and fourth calendar quarters. These seasonal variations result in fluctuations in waste volumes due to weather conditions and general economic activity. We also expect that our operating expenses may be higher during the winter months due to periodic adverse weather conditions that can slow the collection of waste, resulting in higher labor and operational costs.

Employees

As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately 39 full-time employees, of whom 23 were employed in collection, transfer and disposal operations, 12 in clerical, administrative and sales positions and four in management. None of our employees is represented by a labor union. We have not experienced any work stoppages and we believe that our relations with our employees are good.

The safety of our employees and customers is extremely important to us and we have a strong track record of safety and environmental compliance. We constantly review and assess our policies practices and procedures in order to create a safer work environment for our employees and to reduce the frequency of workplace injuries.

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following information about these risks, together with the other information appearing elsewhere in this report, including our financial statements, the notes thereto and the section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” before deciding to invest in our securities. The occurrence of any of the following risks could have a material and adverse effect on our business, reputation, financial condition, results of operations and future growth prospects, as well as our ability to accomplish our strategic objectives. As a result, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business operations and stock price.

Risks Related to Our Finances and Business Plan

Since our recent transition to an environmental solutions company in January 2023, we lack an established operating history on which to evaluate our consolidated business and determine if we will be able to execute our business plan, and we can give no assurance that our operations will result in profits.

While we have conducted business operations since 2017, we commenced the transition to an environmental solutions company in January 2023 and consummated the acquisition of our Titan Trucking subsidiary and its various lines of business in May 2023. As a result, we have a limited operating history as a consolidated company upon which you may evaluate our business and prospects. Our business operations are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties, expenses and difficulties associated with early stage enterprises. You should consider an investment in our company in light of these risks, uncertainties, expenses and difficulties. Such risks include:

Because we are subject to these risks, and the other risks discussed below, you may have a difficult time evaluating our business and your investment in our company.

We have had a history of losses and may incur future losses, which may prevent us from attaining profitability.

We have incurred significant net losses since inception. Our net loss was approximately $149.0 million (of which $142.5 million related to non-cash transactions, including $5.6 million in stock-based compensation, $20.4 million in goodwill impairment, and $116.6 million in loss on extinguishment and issuance of share rights) and $0.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. As of December 31, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $150.0 million. We may continue to incur significant losses in the future for a number of reasons, including unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays, and other unknown events.

We anticipate that our operating expenses will increase substantially in the foreseeable future as we undertake the acquisition and integration of additional entities and businesses, incur expenses associated with maintaining compliance as a public company, and increase marketing and sales efforts to increase our customer base. These increased expenditures may make it more difficult to achieve and maintain profitability. In addition, our efforts to grow our business may be more expensive than we expect, and we may not be able to generate sufficient revenue to offset increased operating expenses. If we are required to reduce our expenses, our growth strategy could be materially affected. We will need to generate and sustain significant revenue levels in future periods in order to become profitable, and, even if we do, we may not be able to maintain or increase our level of profitability.

Accordingly, we cannot assure you that we will achieve sustainable operating profits as we continue to expand our markets, service offerings and infrastructure, further develop our marketing efforts, and otherwise implement our growth initiatives. Any failure to achieve and maintain profitability would have a materially adverse effect on our ability to implement our business plan, our results and operations, and our financial condition.

If we are unable to obtain additional funding when needed, our business operations will be harmed, and if we do obtain additional financing, our then-existing shareholders may suffer substantial dilution.

As we take steps to grow our business through additional acquisitions, by entering into new markets or by expanding our service offerings, or as we respond to potential opportunities and/or adverse events, our working capital needs may change. We anticipate that if our cash are insufficient to satisfy our liquidity requirements, we will require additional funding to sustain our ongoing operations and to continue our expansion strategies. We do not have any contracts or commitments for additional funding, and there can be no assurance that financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all, if needed. The inability to obtain additional capital will restrict our ability to grow and may reduce our ability to conduct business operations. If we are unable to obtain additional financing to finance a revised growth plan, we will likely be required to curtail such plans or cease our business operations in one or more markets. Any additional equity financing may involve substantial dilution to our then existing shareholders.

Raising capital in the future could cause dilution to our existing shareholders and may restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights.

In the future, we may seek additional capital through a combination of private and public equity offerings, debt financings and collaborations and strategic and licensing arrangements. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest will be diluted, and the terms may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a shareholder. Debt financing, if available, would result in increased fixed payment obligations and may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions such as incurring debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we raise additional funds through collaboration or strategic alliance arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our future revenue streams or product candidates on terms that are not favorable to us.

If we do not obtain adequate capital funding or improve our financial performance, we may not be able to continue as a going concern.

We have incurred a net loss in each year since our inception and expect to incur losses in future periods as we continue to acquire additional waste management companies and increase our expenses in order to grow our business. These factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. If we are unable to obtain adequate funding or if we are unable to grow our revenue substantially to achieve and sustain profitability, we may not be able to continue as a going concern. The report of our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ended December 31, 2023 included herein contains an explanatory paragraph indicating that there is substantial doubt as to our ability to continue as a going concern as a result of recurring losses from operations.

If we are unable to raise additional capital when required or on acceptable terms, we may be required to significantly delay, scale back or restrict our operations and our acquisition program or obtain funds by entering into agreements on unattractive terms, which would likely have a material adverse effect on our business, stock price and our relationships with third parties with whom we have business relationships, at least until additional funding is obtained. If we do not have sufficient funds to continue operations, we could be required to seek bankruptcy protection or other alternatives that would likely result in our stockholders losing some or all of their investment in us. In addition, our ability to achieve profitability or to respond to competitive pressures would be significantly limited.

The amount and timing of our future funding requirements depends on many factors, including

We cannot be certain that additional funding will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. In addition, we have in the past and may in the future be restricted or limited by the terms of the credit facilities governing our indebtedness on our ability to enter into additional indebtedness and any future debt financing based upon covenants that restrict our operations, including limitations on our ability to incur liens or additional debt, pay dividends, redeem our stock, make certain investments and engage in certain merger, consolidation or asset sale transactions.

We have a holding company ownership structure and will depend on distributions from our operating subsidiaries to meet our obligations. Contractual or legal restrictions applicable to our subsidiaries could limit payments or distributions from them.

We are a holding company and derive all of our operating income from, and hold substantially all of our assets through, our subsidiaries. The effect of this structure is that we will depend on the earnings of our subsidiaries, and the payment or other distributions to us of these earnings, to meet our obligations and make capital expenditures. Provisions of U.S. corporate and tax law, like those requiring that dividends are paid only out of surplus, and provisions of any future indebtedness may limit the ability of our subsidiaries to make payments or other distributions to us. Additionally, in the event of the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of any of our subsidiaries, creditors of that subsidiary (including trade creditors) will generally be entitled to payment from the assets of that subsidiary before those assets can be distributed to us.

Substantially all of our assets are pledged to Michaelson under the Michaelson Note, a default under which could cause or liquidation. Additionally, the terms of the Michaelson Note place restrictions on our operating and financial flexibility. If we raise additional capital through debt financing, the terms of any new debt could further restrict our ability to operate our business.

On January 5, 2023, we completed the acquisition of our digester assets, and as part of the consideration we paid for such assets, we assumed the obligations of the seller under a secured loan agreement (the “Loan Agreement”) with Michaelson Capital Special Finance Fund II, L.P. (“Michaelson”) and the Secured Promissory Note in the then-outstanding amount of $3,017,090 (the “Michaelson Note”) issued to Michaelson thereunder. The Michaelson Note had an original maturity date of December 31, 2023, which in December 2023 was extended to March 31, 2024. We failed to pay the balance on March 31, 2024, but in April 2024, we agreed to extend the term of the Michaelson Note until June 30, 2024, and received a forbearance on all other defaults until May 1, 2024. Substantially all of our assets are pledged as collateral for outstanding borrowings under the Michaelson Note and our other obligations under the Loan Agreement. The Loan Agreement contains usual and customary restrictive covenants that, among other things, limit our ability to incur additional indebtedness, pay cash dividends or repurchase our stock, and merge or consolidate with another entity. These covenants could cause us to be unable to pursue business opportunities that we or our stockholders may consider beneficial. Upon an event of default under the Michaelson Note, including our failure to pay all outstanding amounts under the Michaelson Note on the maturity date, Michaelson may accelerate all of our repayment obligations and foreclose on our pledged assets, which could require us to renegotiate the Loan Agreement on terms less favorable to us or to immediately cease operations. Further, if our assets are liquidated upon foreclosure, Michaelson’s right to repayment would be senior to the rights of the holders of our capital stock to receive any proceeds from the liquidation. If we raise any additional debt financing, the terms of such additional debt could further restrict our operating and financial flexibility.

Our lack of an independent audit committee and audit committee financial expert at this time may hinder our board of directors’ effectiveness in monitoring our compliance with its disclosure and accounting obligations. Until we establish such committee, we will be unable to obtain a listing on a national securities exchange.

Although our common stock is not listed on any national securities exchange, for purposes of independence we use the definition of independence applied by the NYSE American. Currently, we have no independent audit committee. Our board of directors functions as our audit committee and is comprised of five directors. An independent audit committee would play a crucial role in the corporate governance process, assessing our processes relating to our risks and control environment, overseeing financial reporting, and evaluating internal and independent audit processes. The lack of an independent audit committee may deprive us of management’s independent judgment. We may, however, have difficulty attracting and retaining independent directors with the requisite qualifications. If we are unable to attract and retain qualified, independent directors, the management of our business could be compromised. An independent audit committee is required for listing on any national securities exchange. Therefore, until such time as we meet the audit committee independence requirements of a national securities exchange, we will be ineligible for listing on any national securities exchange.

Our board of directors acts as our compensation committee, which presents the risk that compensation and benefits paid to those executive officers who are board members and other officers may not be commensurate with our financial performance.

A compensation committee consisting of independent directors is a safeguard against self-dealing by company executives. Our board of directors, which has no independent members, acts as the compensation committee for our company and determines the compensation and benefits of our executive officers, administers our employee stock and benefit plans, and reviews policies relating to the compensation and benefits of our employees. Our lack of an independent compensation committee presents the risk that an executive officer on the board may have influence over his or her personal compensation and benefit levels that may not be commensurate with our financial performance or the market place.

Risks Related to Our Acquisition Strategy

We have made and expect to continue to make acquisitions as a primary component of our growth strategy. We may not be able to identify suitable acquisition candidates or consummate acquisitions on acceptable terms, or at all, which could disrupt our operations and adversely impact our business and operating results.

A primary component of our growth strategy has been to acquire complementary businesses to grow our company. As a result, our rate of future growth and profitability is largely dependent on our ability to identify and acquire additional solid waste collection, transportation, and disposal businesses. We intend to continue to pursue acquisitions of complementary businesses, technologies and products to expand our operations and customer base and provide access to new markets and increase benefits of scale. This strategy involves risks inherent in assessing the values, strengths, weaknesses, risks, and profitability of acquisition candidates, including adverse short-term effects on our reported operating results, diversion of management’s attention, dependence on retaining, hiring and training key personnel, and risks associated with unanticipated problems or latent liabilities. Acquisitions also involve certain known and unknown risks that could cause our actual growth or operating results to differ from our expectations. For example:

Increased competition for acquisition targets in our industry may affect the availability of acquisition targets, which could adversely affect our growth.

Increased competition for acquisition candidates may result in fewer acquisition opportunities being made available to us as well as less advantageous acquisition terms, which may increase acquisition costs to levels that are beyond our financial capability or that may have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Accordingly, no assurance can be given as to the number or timing of our acquisitions or as to the availability of financing necessary to complete an acquisition. We also believe that a significant factor in our ability to consummate acquisitions will be the attractiveness of our common stock as an investment to potential acquisition candidates. Such attractiveness may, in large part, be dependent upon the market price and capital appreciation prospects of our common stock compared to the equity securities of our competitors. Many of our competitors for acquisitions are larger, more established companies with significantly greater capital resources than us and whose equity securities may be more attractive than our common stock. To the extent our common stock is less attractive to acquisition candidates, our acquisition program may be adversely affected.

Our ability to acquire additional businesses may require us to raise capital through the sale of equity and/or debt securities, which we may be unable to do on acceptable terms.

The timing, size and success of our acquisition efforts and the associated capital commitments cannot be readily predicted. We intend to use our common stock, cash, debt and borrowings under our credit facility, if necessary, as consideration for future acquisitions of companies. The issuance of additional common stock in connection with future acquisitions may be dilutive to holders of outstanding shares of common stock. In addition, if our common stock does not maintain a sufficient market value or potential acquisition candidates are unwilling to accept common stock as part of the consideration for the sale of their businesses, we may be required to use more of our cash resources, including obtaining additional capital through debt financing. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain financing if and when it is needed or that it will be available on terms that we deem acceptable. If we are unable to raise capital when needed or on attractive terms, we would be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate some or all of our research and development programs or commercialization efforts. As a result, we may be unable to pursue our acquisition strategy successfully, which may prevent us from achieving our growth objectives.

We may be unable to successfully integrate acquisitions, which may adversely impact our operations.

Acquired businesses, technologies or products may not perform as we expect and we may fail to realize anticipated revenue and profits. In addition, our acquisition strategy may divert management’s attention away from our existing business, resulting in the loss of key customers or employees, and expose us to unanticipated problems or legal liabilities, including responsibility as a successor for undisclosed or contingent liabilities of acquired businesses or assets.

If we fail to conduct due diligence on our potential targets effectively, we may, for example, not identify problems at target companies or fail to recognize incompatibilities or other obstacles to successful integration. Our inability to successfully integrate future acquisitions could impede us from realizing all of the benefits of those acquisitions and could severely weaken our business operations. The integration process may disrupt our business and, if new businesses, technologies or products are not integrated or implemented effectively, may preclude the realization of the full benefits expected by us and could harm our results of operations. In addition, the overall integration of new technologies, products or businesses may result in unanticipated problems, expenses, liabilities and competitive responses. The difficulties integrating an acquisition include, among other things:

In addition, even if the operations of an acquisition are integrated successfully, we may not realize the full benefits of the acquisition, including the synergies, cost savings or growth opportunities, that we expect. These benefits may not be achieved within the anticipated time frame, or at all.

Acquisitions that we complete may have an adverse impact on our results of operations.

Acquisitions may cause us to:

The occurrence of any or all of the above risks could materially and adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

We may be subject to claims arising from the operations of our various businesses for periods prior to the dates we acquired them.

We may be subject to claims or liabilities arising from the ownership or operation of acquired businesses for the periods prior to our acquisition of them, including environmental, warranty, workers’ compensation and other employee-related and other liabilities and claims not covered by insurance. These claims or liabilities could be significant. Our ability to seek indemnification from the former owners of our acquired businesses for these claims or liabilities may be limited by various factors, including the specific time, monetary or other limitations contained in the respective acquisition agreements and the financial ability of the former owners to satisfy our indemnification claims. In addition, insurance companies may be unwilling to cover claims that have arisen from acquired businesses or locations, or claims may exceed the coverage limits that our acquired businesses had in effect prior to the date of acquisition. If we are unable to successfully obtain insurance coverage of third-party claims or enforce our indemnification rights against the former owners, or if the former owners are unable to satisfy their obligations for any reason, including because of their current financial position, we could be held liable for the costs or obligations associated with such claims or liabilities, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Our resources may not be sufficient to manage our expected growth and the failure to properly manage our potential growth would be detrimental to our business.

We may fail to adequately manage our anticipated future growth. Any growth in our operations will place a significant strain on our administrative, financial and operational resources and increase demands on our management and on our operational and administrative systems, controls and other resources. We cannot assure you that our existing personnel, systems, procedures or controls will be adequate to support our operations in the future or that we will be able to successfully implement appropriate measures consistent with our growth strategy. As part of this growth, we may have to implement new operational and financial systems, procedures and controls to expand, train and manage our employee base, and maintain close coordination among our technical, accounting, finance, marketing and sales. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so, or that if we are able to do so, we will be able to effectively integrate them into our existing staff and systems. There may be greater strain on our systems as we acquire new businesses, requiring us to devote significant management time and expense to the ongoing integration and alignment of management, systems, controls and marketing. If we are unable to manage growth effectively, such as if our sales and marketing efforts exceed our capacity to design and produce our products and services or if new employees are unable to achieve performance levels, our business, operating results and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

Risks Related to our Business and Industry

We are subject to environmental and safety laws that restrict our operations and increase our costs.

We are subject to extensive federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to environmental protection and occupational safety and health. These include, among other things, laws and regulations governing the use, treatment, storage and disposal of wastes and materials, air quality, water quality and the remediation of contamination associated with the release of hazardous substances. Our compliance with existing regulatory requirements is costly, and continued changes in these regulations could increase our compliance costs. Government laws and regulations often require us to enhance or replace our equipment. We are required to obtain and maintain permits that are subject to strict regulatory requirements and are difficult and costly to obtain and maintain. We may be unable to implement price increases sufficient to offset the cost of complying with these laws and regulations. In addition, regulatory changes could accelerate or increase expenditures for closure and post-closure monitoring at solid waste facilities and obligate us to spend sums over the amounts that we have accrued. In order to develop, expand or operate a landfill or other waste management facility, we must have various facility permits and other governmental approvals, including those relating to zoning, environmental protection and land use. The permits and approvals are often difficult, time consuming and costly to obtain and could contain conditions that limit our operations.

We may become subject to environmental clean-up costs or litigation that could curtail our business operations and materially decrease our earnings.

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, or CERCLA, and analogous state laws provide for the remediation of contaminated facilities and impose strict joint and several liability for remediation costs on current and former owners or operators of a facility at which there has been a release or a threatened release of a hazardous substance. This liability is also imposed on persons who arrange for the disposal of and who transport such substances to the facility. Hundreds of substances are defined as hazardous under CERCLA and their presence, even in small amounts, can result in substantial liability. The expense of conducting a cleanup can be significant. Notwithstanding our efforts to comply with applicable regulations and to avoid transporting and receiving hazardous substances, we may have liability because these substances may be present in waste collected by us. The actual costs for these liabilities could be significantly greater than the amounts that we might be required to accrue on our financial statements from time to time.

In addition to the costs of complying with environmental regulations, we may incur costs to defend against litigation brought by government agencies and private parties. As a result, we may be required to pay fines or our permits and licenses may be modified or revoked. We may in the future be a defendant in lawsuits brought by governmental agencies and private parties who assert claims alleging environmental damage, personal injury, property damage and/or violations of permits and licenses by us. A significant judgment against us, the loss of a significant permit or license or the imposition of a significant fine could curtail our business operations and may decrease our earnings.

Our business is capital intensive, requiring ongoing cash outlays that may strain or consume our available capital and force us to sell assets, incur debt, or sell equity on unfavorable terms.

Our ability to remain competitive, grow and maintain our operations largely depends on our cash flow from operations and access to capital. Maintaining our existing operations and expanding them through internal growth or acquisitions requires large capital expenditures. As we undertake more acquisitions and further expand our operations, the amount we expend on capital will increase. These increases in expenditures may result in lower levels of working capital or require us to finance working capital deficits. We intend to continue to fund our cash needs through cash flow from operations, equity and debt financings and borrowings under our credit facility, if necessary. However, we may require additional equity or debt financing to fund our growth.

We do not have complete control over our future performance because it is subject to general economic, political, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other factors. It is possible that our business may not generate sufficient cash flow from operations, and we may not otherwise have the capital resources, to allow us to make necessary capital expenditures. If this occurs, we may have to sell assets, restructure our debt or obtain additional equity capital, which could be dilutive to our stockholders. We may not be able to take any of the foregoing actions, and we may not be able to do so on terms favorable to us or our stockholders.

Our business operations are currently concentrated in the State of Michigan and such geographic concentration of our business could adversely affect our business and financial condition.

Our business operations and customers are located in Michigan, and we expect to focus our operations on the Midwestern U.S. for at least the foreseeable future. During the year ended December 31, 2023, approximately 84% of our total annualized revenues were derived from customers located in Michigan. Therefore, our business, financial condition and results of operations are susceptible to downturns in the general economy in the Midwestern U.S., particularly in Michigan, and other factors affecting the region, such as state regulations affecting the solid waste services industry and severe weather conditions. In addition, the costs and time involved in permitting, and the scarcity of, available landfills in the Midwestern U.S. could make it difficult for us to expand vertically in those markets. There can be no assurance that we will complete a sufficient number of acquisitions in other markets to lessen our geographic concentration.

We currently depend on a limited number of customers for our revenue.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, one customer accounted for approximately 30% of total revenues generated and during the year ended December 31, 2022, two customers accounted for approximately 52% and 12%, respectively, of total revenues generated. We have no long-term agreements with any of the customers that accounted for more than 10% of our revenues in any of those periods.

Because we depend on these customers for a significant percentage of our revenue, a loss of one or more of these customers could materially adversely affect our business and financial condition. If these principal customers cease using our services, our business could be materially adversely affected.

Governmental authorities may enact climate change regulations that could increase our costs to operate.

Environmental advocacy groups and regulatory agencies in the United States have been focusing considerable attention on the emissions of greenhouse gases and their potential role in climate change. Congress has considered recent proposed legislation directed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and President Biden has indicated his support of legislation aimed at reducing greenhouse gases. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”) has proposed rules to regulate greenhouse gases, regional initiatives have formed to control greenhouse gases and certain of the states in which we operate are contemplating air pollution control regulations that are more stringent than existing and proposed federal regulations, in particular the regulation of emissions of greenhouse gases. The adoption of laws and regulations to implement controls of greenhouse gases, including the imposition of fees or taxes, could adversely affect our collection operations. Changing environmental regulations could require us to take any number of actions, including the purchase of emission allowances or installation of additional pollution control technology, and could make some operations less profitable, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

Our operations are subject to environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, as well as contractual obligations that may result in significant liabilities.

We risk incurring significant environmental liabilities in connection with our use, treatment, storage, transfer and disposal of waste materials. Under applicable environmental laws and regulations, we could be liable if our operations are found to cause environmental damage to our properties or to the property of other landowners, particularly as a result of the contamination of air, drinking water or soil. Under current law, we could also be held liable for damage caused by conditions that existed before we acquired the assets or operations involved. This risk is of particular concern as we execute our growth strategy, partially though acquisitions, because we may be unsuccessful in identifying and assessing potential liabilities during our due diligence investigations. Further, the counterparties in such transactions may be unable to perform their indemnification obligations owed to us. Additionally, we could be liable if we arrange for the transportation, disposal or treatment of hazardous substances that cause environmental contamination, or if a predecessor owner made such arrangements and, under applicable law, we are treated as a successor to the prior owner. Any substantial liability for environmental damage could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Our business is subject to operational and safety risks, including the risk of personal injury to employees and others.

Providing environmental and waste management services involves risks such as vehicular accidents and equipment defects, malfunctions and failures. Additionally, there are risks associated with waste mass instability and releases of hazardous materials or odors. There may also be risks presented by the potential for subsurface chemical reactions causing elevated landfill temperatures and increased production of leachate, landfill gas and odors. Any of these risks could potentially result in injury or death of employees and others, a need to shut down or reduce operation of facilities, increased operating expense and exposure to liability for pollution and other environmental damage, and property damage or destruction.

While we seek to minimize our exposure to such risks through comprehensive training, compliance and response and recovery programs, as well as vehicle and equipment maintenance programs, if we were to incur substantial liabilities in excess of any applicable insurance, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected. Any such incidents could also adversely impact our reputation and reduce the value of our brand. Additionally, a major operational failure, even if suffered by a competitor, may bring enhanced scrutiny and regulation of our industry, with a corresponding increase in operating expense.

Increases in the costs of fuel may reduce our operating margins.

The price and supply of fuel needed to run our collection vehicles is unpredictable and fluctuates based on events outside our control, including geopolitical developments, supply and demand for oil and gas, actions by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other oil and gas producers, war and unrest in oil producing countries, regional production patterns and environmental concerns. Any significant price escalations or reductions in the supply could increase our operating expenses or interrupt or curtail our operations. Failure to offset all or a portion of any increased fuel costs through increased fees or charges would reduce our operating margins.

Increases in the costs of disposal may reduce our operating margins.

Historically, we have disposed of all of the waste that we collected in landfills operated by third parties under informal arrangements or without long-term contracts. If these third parties increase their disposal fees and we are unable to pass along the increase to our customers, our operating margins would be adversely impacted. In addition, if these third parties discontinue their arrangements with us and we are unable to locate alternative disposal sites, our business and results of operations would be materially adversely affected.

Increases in the costs of labor may reduce our operating margins.

We compete with other businesses in our markets for qualified employees. A shortage of qualified employees would require us to enhance our wage and benefits packages to compete more effectively for employees or to hire more expensive temporary employees. Labor is our second largest operating cost, and even relatively small increases in labor costs per employee could materially affect our cost structure. Failure to attract and retain qualified employees, to control our labor costs, or to recover any increased labor costs through increased prices we charge for our services or otherwise offset such increases with cost savings in other areas may reduce our operating margins.

Increases in costs of insurance may reduce our operating margins.

One of our largest operating costs is maintaining insurance coverage, including general liability, automobile physical damage and liability, property, employment practices, pollution, directors and officers, fiduciary, workers’ compensation and employer’s liability coverage, as well as umbrella liability policies to provide excess coverage over the underlying limits contained in our primary general liability, automobile liability and employer’s liability policies. Changes in our operating experience, such as an increase in accidents or lawsuits or a catastrophic loss, could cause our insurance costs to increase significantly or could cause us to be unable to obtain certain insurance. Increases in insurance costs would reduce our operating margins. Changes in our industry and perceived risks in our business could have a similar effect.

We may not be able to maintain sufficient insurance coverage to cover the risks associated with our operations, which could result in uninsured losses that would adversely affect our financial condition.

Integrated non-hazardous waste companies are exposed to a variety of risks that are typically covered by insurance arrangements. However, we may not be able to maintain sufficient insurance coverage to cover the risks associated with our operations for a variety of reasons. Increases in insurance costs and changes in the insurance markets may, given our resources, limit the coverage that we are able to maintain or prevent us from insuring against certain risks. Large or unexpected losses may exceed our policy limits, adversely affecting our results of operations, and may result in the termination or limitation of coverage, exposing us to uninsured losses, thereby adversely affecting our financial condition.

Our failure to remain competitive with our numerous competitors, many of whom have greater resources than we do, could adversely affect our ability to retain existing customers and obtain future business.

Because our industry is highly competitive, we compete with large companies and municipalities, many of whom have greater financial and operational resources than we do. The non-hazardous solid waste collection and disposal industry includes large national, publicly-traded waste management companies; regional, publicly-held and privately-owned companies; and numerous small, local, privately-owned companies. Additionally, many counties and municipalities operate their own waste collection and disposal facilities and have competitive advantages not available to private enterprises. If we are unable to successfully compete against our competitors, our ability to retain existing customers and obtain future business could be adversely affected.

We may lose contracts through competitive bidding, early termination or governmental action, or we may have to substantially lower prices in order to retain certain contracts, any of which would cause our revenue and our operating margins to decline.

We are parties to contracts with municipalities and other associations and agencies. Many of these contracts are or will be subject to competitive bidding. We may not be the successful bidder, or we may have to substantially lower prices in order to be the successful bidder. In addition, some of our customers may terminate their contracts with us before the end of the contract term. If we were not able to replace revenue from contracts lost through competitive bidding or early termination or from lowering prices or from the renegotiation of existing contracts with other revenue within a reasonable time period, our revenue could decline.

Efforts by labor unions to organize our employees could divert management attention and increase our operating expenses.

We do not have any union representation in our operations. Groups of employees may seek union representation in the future, and the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements could divert management attention and result in increased operating expenses and lower net income. If we are unable to negotiate acceptable collective bargaining agreements, we might have to wait through “cooling off” periods, which are often followed by union-initiated work stoppages, including strikes. Depending on the type and duration of these work stoppages, our operating expenses could increase significantly.

Poor decisions by our regional and local managers could result in the loss of customers or an increase in costs, or adversely affect our ability to obtain future business.

We manage our operations on a decentralized basis. Therefore, regional and local managers have the authority to make many decisions concerning their operations without obtaining prior approval from our executive officers. Poor decisions by regional or local managers could result in the loss of customers or an increase in costs, or adversely affect our ability to obtain future business.

We are vulnerable to factors affecting our local markets, which could adversely affect our stock price relative to our competitors.

Because the non-hazardous waste business is local in nature, our business in one or more regions or local markets may be adversely affected by events and economic conditions relating to those regions or markets even if the other regions of the country are not affected. As a result, our financial performance may not compare favorably to our competitors with operations in other regions, and our stock price could be adversely affected by our inability to compete effectively with our competitors.

Seasonal fluctuations will cause our business and results of operations to vary among quarters, which could adversely affect our stock price.

Based on historic trends experienced by the businesses we have acquired, we expect our operating results to vary seasonally, with revenue typically lowest in the first quarter, higher in the second and third quarters, and again lower in the fourth quarter. Our operating revenues tend to be somewhat higher in the summer months, primarily due to the higher construction and demolition waste volumes. This seasonality also generally reflects the lower volume of waste during the winter months. Adverse weather conditions negatively affect waste collection productivity, resulting in higher labor and operational costs. The general increase in precipitation during the winter months increases the weight of collected waste, resulting in higher disposal costs, as costs are often calculated on a per ton basis. Because of these factors, we expect operating income to be generally lower in the winter months. As a result, our operating results may be negatively affected by these variations. Additionally, severe weather during any time of the year can negatively affect the costs of collection and disposal and may cause temporary suspensions of our collection services. Long periods of inclement weather may interfere with collection operations and reduce the volume of waste generated by our customers. Any of these conditions can adversely affect our business and results of operations, which could negatively affect our stock price.

We are dependent on our management team and development and operations personnel, and the loss of one or more key employees or groups could harm our business and prevent us from implementing our business plan in a timely manner.

Our success depends substantially upon the continued services of our executive officers and other key members of management, particularly our chief executive officer, Mr. Glen Miller, and our chief operating officer, Mr. Jeffrey Rizzo. From time to time, there may be changes in our executive management team resulting from the hiring or departure of executives. Such changes in our executive management team may be disruptive to our business. We are also substantially dependent on the continued service of our existing development and operations personnel because of the complexity of our service and technologies. While we have employment agreements with Messrs. Miller and Rizzo, we do not maintain a key person life insurance policy on either of such officers. The loss of one or more of our key employees or groups could seriously harm our business.

We have identified certain material weaknesses in our internal controls, which could cause stockholders and prospective investors to lose confidence in the reliability of our financing reporting.

Based upon the evaluation of the disclosure controls and procedures at the end of the period covered by this report, our chief executive officer and our chief financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as a result of continuing weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting principally due to the following: (i) we have not established adequate financial reporting processes or monitoring activities to ensure adequate financial reporting and to mitigate the risk of management override, specifically because there are few employees and only two officers with management functions and therefore there is lack of segregation of duties; (ii) an outside consultant assists in the preparation of the annual and quarterly financial statements and partners with us to ensure compliance with U.S. GAAP and SEC disclosure requirements; and (iii) we did not maintain a sufficient complement of qualified accounting personnel and controls associated with segregation of duties over complex transactions.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report financial results or prevent fraud. As a result, current and potential stockholders could lose confidence in our company’s financial reporting that could harm the trading price of our shares, if a trading market does develop.

We need additional capital to develop our business.

The development of our services will require the commitment of substantial resources to implement our business plan. In addition, substantial expenditures will be required to enable us to complete projects in the future. We currently have no additional borrowing capacity under our existing credit agreement, and it is likely we will need to seek additional financing through subsequent future private or public offerings of our equity securities or through strategic partnerships and other arrangements with corporate partners.

We cannot give you any assurance that any additional financing will be available to us, or if available, will be on terms favorable to us. The sale of additional equity securities will result in dilution to our stockholders. The occurrence of indebtedness would result in increased debt service obligations and could require us to agree to operating and financing covenants that would restrict our operations. If adequate additional financing is not available on acceptable terms, we may not be able to implement our business development plan or continue our business operations.

Cyber incidents or cyberattacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.

We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss.

Risks Related to Ownership of our Common Stock

You may experience dilution of your ownership interest because of the future issuance of additional shares of our common stock and because of our preferred stock and outstanding rights to acquire common stock and warrants.

As of March 31, 2024, our authorized capital stock consisted of 425,000,000 shares, of which 400,000,000 shares were designated as common stock and 25,000,000 shares were designated as preferred stock, of which 630,900 shares were designated Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, and 1,360,000 shares were designated as Series B Convertible Preferred Stock.

In the future, we expect to issue our authorized but previously unissued equity securities in connection with future financings, which could result in the dilution of the ownership interests of our present stockholders. We may also issue additional shares of our common stock or other securities that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock in connection with hiring or retaining employees or consultants, future acquisitions, future sales of our securities for capital raising purposes, or for other business purposes. The future issuance of any such additional shares of our common stock or other securities may create downward pressure on the trading price of our common stock. There can be no assurance that we will not be required to issue additional shares, warrants or other convertible securities in the future in conjunction with hiring or retaining employees or consultants, future acquisitions, future sales of our securities for capital raising purposes or for other business purposes, including at a price (or exercise or conversion prices) below the price at which shares of our common stock are trading.

Under any of the circumstances described above, future issuances or conversions may depress the market price of our common stock, and may impair our ability to raise additional capital in the financial markets at a time and price favorable to us. The effect of this dilution may, in turn, cause the price of our common stock to decrease further, both because of the downward pressure on our stock price that may be caused by a large number of sales of our shares into the public market by our preferred holders, and because our other existing stockholders may, in response, decide to sell additional shares of our common stock, further decreasing our stock price.

The market price of our common stock is likely to be volatile and could subject us to litigation.

The market price of our common stock has been and is likely to continue to be subject to wide fluctuations. Factors affecting the market price of our common stock include:

Any of these factors, as well as broader market and industry factors, may result in large and sudden changes in the trading volume of our common stock and could seriously harm the market price of our common stock, regardless of our operating performance. This may prevent you from being able to sell your shares at or above the price you paid for your shares of our common stock, if at all. In addition, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, stockholders often institute securities class action litigation against that company. Our involvement in any class action suit or other legal proceeding could divert our senior management’s attention and could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

There is currently only a limited public market for our common stock. Failure to develop or maintain a trading market could negatively affect the value of our common stock and make it difficult or impossible for you to sell any shares of our common stock that you hold.

There is currently only a limited public market for our common stock and an active public market for our common stock may not develop or be sustained. Failure to develop or maintain an active trading market could make it difficult for you to sell your shares without depressing the market price for our common stock or recover any part of your investment in us. Even if an active market for our common stock does develop, the market price of such securities may be highly volatile. In addition to the uncertainties relating to future operating performance and the profitability of operations, factors such as variations in interim financial results or various, as yet unpredictable, factors, many of which are beyond our control, may have a negative effect on the market price of our common stock. Further, quotes for shares of our common stock on the OTCQB may not be indicative of the market price on a national securities exchange, such as the NYSE or Nasdaq.

Our shares of common stock are subject to the penny stock rules, making it more difficult to trade our shares.

The SEC has adopted rules that regulate broker-dealer practices in connection with transactions in penny stocks. Penny stocks are generally equity securities with a price of less than $5.00, other than securities registered on certain national securities exchanges or authorized for quotation on certain automated quotation systems, provided that current price and volume information with respect to transactions in such securities is provided by the exchange or system. Because our common stock is not listed on a national securities exchange and the current price of our common stock is less than $5.00, our common stock is deemed to be a penny stock. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, before a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document containing specified information. In addition, the penny stock rules require that before effecting any transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, a broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive (i) the purchaser’s written acknowledgment of the receipt of a risk disclosure statement; (ii) a written agreement to transactions involving penny stocks; and (iii) a signed and dated copy of a written suitability statement. These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the trading activity in the secondary market for our common stock, and therefore stockholders may have difficulty selling their shares.