Item 1A. Risk Factors.

To keep our stockholders and the public informed about our business, we may make "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements usually relate to future events and anticipated revenues, earnings, cash flows or other aspects of our operations or operating results. Forward-looking statements are often identified by the words, "will," "may," "should," "continue," "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "plan," "forecast," "project," "estimate," "intend" and words of a similar nature and generally include statements containing:

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• projections about accounting and finances;

• plans and objectives for the future;

• projections or estimates about assumptions relating to our performance; or

• our opinions, views or beliefs about the effects of current or future events, circumstances or performance.

You should view these statements with caution. These statements are not guarantees of future performance, circumstances or events. They are based on facts and circumstances known to us as of the date the statements are made. All aspects of our business are subject to uncertainties, risks and other influences, many of which we do not control. Any of these factors, either alone or taken together, could have a material adverse effect on us and could change whether any forward-looking statement ultimately turns out to be true. Additionally, we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of future events, circumstances or developments. The following discussion should be read together with the Consolidated Financial Statements and the notes thereto. Outlined below are some of the risks that we believe could affect our business and financial statements for 2023 and beyond and that could cause actual results to be materially different from those that may be set forth in forward-looking statements made by the Company.

Any investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk, including the risks described below. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could suffer as a result of these risks, and the trading price of our shares could decline, perhaps significantly, and you could lose all or part of your investment. The risks discussed below also include forward-looking statements and our actual results may differ substantially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. See the section entitled "Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements."

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

We may experience claims that our products infringe the intellectual property rights of others, which may cause us to incur unexpected costs or prevent us from selling our products.

We seek to improve our business processes and develop new products and applications. Many of our competitors have a substantial amount of intellectual property that we must continually monitor to avoid infringement. We cannot guarantee that we will not experience claims that our processes and products infringe issued patents (whether present or future) or other intellectual property rights belonging to others. If we are sued for infringement and lose, we could be required to pay substantial damages or be enjoined from using or selling the infringing products or technology. Further, intellectual property litigation is expensive and time-consuming, regardless of the merits of any claim, and could divert our management's attention from operating our business.

Our relationship with our employees could deteriorate, and certain key employees could leave the Company, which could adversely affect our business and our results of operations.

Our business involves complex operations and therefore demands a management team and employee workforce that is knowledgeable and expert in many areas necessary for our operations. We rely on our ability to attract and retain skilled employees, including our specialized research and development and sales and service personnel, to maintain our efficient production. The departure of a significant number of our highly skilled employees or of one or more employees who hold key management positions could have an adverse impact on our operations, including as a result of customers choosing to follow a regional manager to one of our competitors.

We face intense competition, and our failure to compete successfully may have an adverse effect on our net sales, gross profit and financial condition.

Our industry is highly competitive. Many of our competitors may have greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do and may be able to devote greater resources to promoting and selling certain products. Many of our competitors may have greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do and may be able to devote greater resources to promoting and selling certain products, and our competitors may therefore have greater financial, technical and marketing resources available to them than we do.

If we do not compete successfully by developing and deploying new cost-effective products, processes and technologies on a timely basis and by adapting to changes in our industry and the global economy, our net sales, gross profit and financial condition could be adversely affected.

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Failure to comply with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, and other similar anti-corruption laws, could subject us to penalties and damage our reputation.

We are subject to the FCPA, which generally prohibits U.S. companies and their intermediaries from making corrupt payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business or otherwise obtaining favorable treatment and requires companies to maintain certain policies and procedures. Certain jurisdictions in which we conduct business may be at a heightened risk for corruption, extortion, bribery, pay-offs, theft and other fraudulent practices. Certain of the jurisdictions in which we conduct business may be at a heightened risk for corruption, extortion, bribery, pay-offs, theft and other fraudulent practices. Under the FCPA, U.S. companies may be held liable for actions taken by their strategic or local partners or representatives. If we, or our intermediaries, fail to comply with the requirements of the FCPA, or similar laws of other countries, governmental authorities in the United States or elsewhere, as applicable, could seek to impose civil and/or criminal penalties, which could damage our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are not insured against all potential risks.

To the extent available and where financially possible, we maintain insurance coverage that we believe is customary in our industry. Such insurance does not, however, provide coverage for all liabilities, including certain hazards incidental to our business, and we cannot assure you that our insurance coverage will be adequate to cover claims that may arise or that we will be able to maintain adequate insurance at rates we consider reasonable. As a result of the lack of funding we have not been able to provide complete insurance coverage for the current year.

We may not be able to consummate future acquisitions or successfully integrate acquisitions into our business, which could result in unanticipated expenses and losses.

Part of our strategy is to grow through acquisitions. Consummating acquisitions of related businesses, or our failure to integrate such businesses successfully into our existing businesses, could result in unanticipated expenses and losses. Furthermore, we may not be able to realize any of the anticipated benefits from the acquisitions.

In connection with potential future acquisitions, the process of integrating acquired operations into our existing operations may result in unforeseen operating difficulties and may require significant financial resources that would otherwise be available for the ongoing development or expansion of existing operations. Some of the risks associated with acquisitions include:

• unexpected losses of key employees or customers of the acquired company;

• conforming the acquired company's standards, processes, procedures and controls with our operations;

• coordinating new product and process development;

• hiring additional management and other critical personnel;

• negotiating with labor unions; and

• increasing the scope, geographic diversity and complexity of our operations.

In addition, we may encounter unforeseen obstacles or costs in the integration of businesses we may acquire. Also, the presence of one or more material liabilities of an acquired company that are unknown to us at the time of acquisition may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

Business disruptions could seriously harm revenues and increase our costs and expenses.

Our operations could be subject to extraordinary events, including natural disasters, political disruptions, terrorist attacks, acts of war and other business disruptions, which could seriously harm our net sales and increase our costs and expenses. These blackouts, floods and storms could cause disruptions to our operations or the operations of our suppliers, distributors, resellers or customers. Similar losses and interruptions could also be caused by earthquakes, telecommunications failures, water shortages, tsunamis, typhoons, fires, extreme weather conditions, medical epidemics and other natural or manmade disasters for which we are predominantly self-insured.

Risks Relating to Our Common Stock

An active trading market may not result for our common stock.

On December 11, 2018, our common stock commenced quotation on the OTCQB Market, under the symbol, SNRG. We cannot predict the extent to which investor interest in us will lead to the development of an active trading market or how liquid that market might become. An active public market for our common stock may not develop or be sustained. If an active public market does not develop or is not sustained, it may be difficult for you to sell your shares of common stock at a price that is attractive to you, or at all.

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We have a history of net losses, and we expect to incur additional losses.

In each year since our inception, we have incurred losses and have generated in total, since inception, only $6,262,852 in revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2023, net losses attributable to common stockholders aggregated $8,225,334 (2022-$12,010,548) and at December 31, 2023, the Company's accumulated deficit was $38,570,531 (2022-$30,345,197). For the year ended December 31, 2021, net losses attributable to common stockholders aggregated $4,865,855 (2020-$2,012,314) and, at December 31, 2021, the Company's accumulated deficit was $18,334,649 (2020-$13,468,794). We expect to incur further losses in the development of our business. We cannot assure you that we can achieve profitable operations in any future period.

Our independent registered public accounting firms' report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt as to our ability to continue as a going concern.

Although our consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming we will continue as a going concern, our independent registered public accounting firm in their report accompanying our consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, expressed substantial doubt as to our ability to continue as a going concern as of December 31, 2023 and as of December 31, 2022, as a result of our operating losses since inception, because the Company expects to incur further losses in the development of its business and the Company's ability to settle its current liabilities owing to service providers and creditors. The inclusion of a going concern explanatory paragraph may make it more difficult for us to secure additional financing or enter into strategic relationships on terms acceptable to us, if at all, and may materially and adversely affect the terms of any financing that we may obtain.

We have no intention of declaring dividends in the foreseeable future.

The decision to pay cash dividends on our common stock rests with our board of directors and will depend on our earnings, unencumbered cash, capital requirements and financial condition. We do not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future, as we intend to use any excess cash to fund our operations. Investors in our common stock should not expect to receive dividend income on their investment in the foreseeable future.

We may issue preferred stock in the future, and the terms of the preferred stock may reduce the value of our common stock.

Under the certificate of incorporation of the Company, our Board of Directors are authorized to create and issue one or more additional series of preferred stock, and, with respect to each series, to determine number of shares constituting the series and the designations and the powers, preferences and rights, and the qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, which may include dividend rights, conversion or exchange rights, voting rights, redemption rights and terms and liquidation preferences, without stockholder approval. If we create and issue one or more additional series of preferred stock, it could affect your rights or reduce the value of our outstanding common stock. Our Board of Directors could, without stockholder approval, issue preferred stock with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power of the holders of our common stock and which could have certain anti-takeover effects.

Special Meetings of our Stockholders may only be called by our Board of Directors or our CEO and as such, our stockholders do not have the ability to call a meeting.

Under our bylaws only our Board of Directors or CEO may call a special meeting of shareholders and as such, your ability to participate and take certain corporate actions like amending the Company's certificate of incorporation or electing directors is limited.

We may be exposed to risks relating to evaluations of controls required by Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Pursuant to Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, our management will be required to report on, and our independent registered public accounting firm may in the future be required to attest to, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Although we prepare our financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("US GAAP"), our internal accounting controls may not meet all standards applicable to companies with publicly traded securities. If we fail to implement any required improvements to our disclosure controls and procedures, we may be obligated to report control deficiencies and our independent registered public accounting firm may not be able to certify the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting. In either case, we could become subject to regulatory sanction or investigation. Further, these outcomes could damage investor confidence in the accuracy and reliability of our financial statements.

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If our internal controls and accounting processes are insufficient, we may not detect in a timely manner misstatement that could occur in our financial statements in amounts that could be material.

As a public company, we will have to devote substantial efforts to the reporting obligations and internal controls required of a public company, which will result in substantial costs. A failure to properly meet these obligations could cause investors to lose confidence in us and have a negative impact on the market price of our shares. We expect to devote significant resources to the documentation, testing and continued improvement of our operational and financial systems for the foreseeable future. These improvements and efforts with respect to our accounting processes that we will need to continue to make may not be sufficient to ensure that we maintain adequate controls over our financial processes and reporting in the future. Any failure to implement required, new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation, could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations in the USA or result in misstatements in our financial statements in amounts that could be material. Insufficient internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our shares and may expose us to litigation risk.

As a public company, we will be required to document and test our internal control procedures to satisfy the requirements of Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley, which requires annual management assessments of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. During the course of our testing, we may identify deficiencies which we may not be able to remediate in time to meet our deadline for compliance with Section 404. We may not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404. If we are unable to conclude that we have effective internal control over financial reporting, then investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our shares.

Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this Form 10-K may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements that express our intentions, beliefs, expectations, strategies, predictions or any other statements relating to our future activities or other future events or conditions. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about our business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may, and are likely to, differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, including those described above and those risks discussed from time to time in this prospectus, including the risks described under "Risk Factors," and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in this prospectus and in other documents which we file with the SEC.

In addition, such statements could be affected by risks and uncertainties related to:

• our ability to raise funds for general corporate purposes and operations, including our clinical trials;

• our ability to recruit qualified management and technical personnel;

• our ability to complete successfully within our industry;

• fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;

• our ability to maintain and enhance our technological capabilities and to respond effectively to technological changes in our industry; and

• our ability to protect our intellectual property, on which our business avoiding infringing the intellectual property rights of others;

Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and except as may be required under applicable securities laws, we do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this prospectus.

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If we fail to implement our business strategy, our financial performance and our growth could be materially and adversely affected.

Our future financial performance and success are dependent in large part upon our ability to implement our business strategy successfully. Implementation of our strategy will require effective management of our operational, financial and human resources and will place significant demands on those resources.

See Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Overview for more information on our business strategy.

There are risks involved in pursuing our strategy, including the following:

• Our employees, customers or investors may not embrace and support our strategy.

• We may not be able to hire or retain the personnel necessary to manage our strategy effectively.

• We may be unsuccessful in implementing improvements to operational efficiency and such efforts may not yield the intended result.

• We may not be able to maintain cost savings achieved through restructuring efforts.

• Strategic decisions with respect to our asset portfolio may result in impairments to our assets.

• Our ability to make strategic acquisitions depends on our ability to identify desirable acquisition targets, negotiate advantageous transactions despite competition for such opportunities, fund such acquisitions on favorable terms, obtain regulatory approvals and realize the benefits we expect from those transactions.

• Acquisitions, investments and/or new service offerings may not increase our earnings in the timeframe anticipated, or at all, due to difficulties operating in new markets or providing new service offerings, failure of emerging technologies to perform as expected, failure to operate within budget, integration issues, or regulatory issues, among others.

• Integration of acquisitions and/or new services offerings could increase our exposure to the risk of inadvertent noncompliance with applicable laws and regulations.

• Liabilities associated with acquisitions, including ones that may exist only because of past operations of an acquired business, may prove to be more difficult or costly to address than anticipated.

• Execution of our strategy, particularly growth through acquisitions, may cause us to incur substantial additional indebtedness, which may divert capital away from our traditional business operations and other financial plans.

• We continue to seek to divest underperforming and non-strategic assets if we cannot improve their profitability. We may not be able to successfully negotiate the divestiture of underperforming and non-strategic operations, which could result in asset impairments or the continued operation of low-margin businesses.

In addition to the risks set forth above, implementation of our business strategy could also be affected by a number of factors beyond our control, such as increased competition, legal developments, government regulation, general economic conditions, increased operating costs or expenses and changes in industry trends. We may decide to alter or discontinue certain aspects of our business strategy at any time. If we are not able to implement our business strategy successfully, our long-term growth and profitability may be adversely affected. Even if we are able to implement some or all of the initiatives of our business strategy successfully, our operating results may not improve to the extent we anticipate, or at all.

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Compliance with existing or increased future regulations and/or enforcement of such regulations may restrict or change our operations, increase our operating costs or require us to make additional capital expenditures, and a decrease in regulation may lower barriers to entry for our competitors.

Stringent government regulations at the federal, state, provincial and local level in the U.S. and Canada have a substantial impact on our business, and compliance with such regulations is costly. A large number of complex laws, rules, orders and interpretations govern environmental protection, health, safety, land use, zoning, transportation and related matters. Among other things, governmental regulations and enforcement actions may restrict our operations and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows by imposing conditions such as:

• limitations on constructing a new waste transfer station, recycling or processing facilities or on expanding existing facilities;

• limitations, regulations or levies on collection and disposal prices, rates and volumes;

• limitations or bans on disposal or transportation of out-of-state waste or certain categories of waste;

• mandates regarding the management of solid waste, including requirements to recycle, divert or otherwise process certain waste, recycling and other streams; or

• limitations or restrictions on the recycling, processing or transformation of waste, recycling and other streams.

We also have a significant financial obligation relating to closure, post-closure and environmental remediation at our existing facility. This obligation will need to be supported by a letter of credit in favor of the MECP, which the Company has not been able to satisfy as at December 31, 2023 and as at the date of this filing. Environmental regulatory changes could accelerate or increase such costs, requiring our expenditure to materially exceed our current letter of credit.

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

There is a risk of incurring significant environmental liabilities in the acceptance, use and storage of waste materials. Under applicable environmental laws and regulations, we could be liable if our operations cause environmental damage to our property 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 our current facility. 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 and acceptance at our facility 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.

The Company has recently experienced an outflow of leachate impacted water from its stormwater pond into the City of Belleville's roadside ditch. The Company is working with its environmental consultants and its Canadian legal counsel to assess the damage caused, remediate this occurrence and report regularly to the MECP.

On or around November 27, 2023 and March 6, 2024, the Company experienced an outflow of leachate impacted water from its stormwater pond into the City of Belleville's roadside ditch and has continued to periodically overflow. The Company is working with its environmental consultants and its Canadian legal counsel to assess the damage caused, remediate this occurrence and report regularly to the MECP.

As a result of an order issued by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, specifically relating to high ammonia levels in one of the Company's composting buildings, the Company ceased accepting waste after January 10, 2024, to address this and other compliance matters issued by the MECP. The Company also received orders from the MECP to address repairs, the clean-up of unusable waste on site, re-habilitating its stormwater management system and other matters. Management anticipates these matters will take several months to complete, will require significant investment, and are dependent on the Company securing funding. We believe that our operating property, vehicle and equipment had been adequately maintained but will require significant investment to carry out repairs and improvements as ordered by the MECP. This will also include replacement of certain equipment at the Company's Belleville waste processing and composting facility.

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In the ordinary course of our business, we may in the future become involved in legal and administrative proceedings relating to land use and environmental laws and regulations. These include proceedings in which:

• agencies of federal, state, provincial or local governments seek to impose liability on us under applicable statutes, sometimes involving civil or criminal penalties for violations, or to revoke or deny renewal of a permit we need; and

• local communities, citizen groups, landowners or governmental agencies oppose the issuance of a permit or approval we need, allege violations of the permits under which we operate or laws or regulations to which we are subject, or seek to impose liability on us for environmental damage.

We generally seek to work with the authorities or other persons involved in these proceedings to resolve any issues raised. If we are not successful, the adverse outcome of one or more of these proceedings could result in, among other things, material increases in our costs or liabilities as well as material charges for asset impairments.

General economic conditions can directly and adversely affect our revenues and our income from operations margins.

Our business is directly affected by changes in national and general economic factors that are outside of our control, including consumer confidence, interest rates and access to capital markets. A weak economy generally results in decreased consumer spending and decreases in the volume of waste generated, which decreases our revenues. In addition, we have a relatively high fixed-cost structure, which is difficult to quickly adjust to match shifting volume levels. Consumer uncertainty and the loss of consumer confidence may limit the number or number of services requested by customers. Economic conditions may also limit our ability to implement our pricing strategy. For example, many of our contracts have price adjustment provisions that are tied to an index such as the Consumer Price Index, and our costs may increase in excess of the increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index.

Some of our customers may have suffered financial difficulties affecting their credit risk, which could negatively impact our operating results.

Many non-governmental customers have also suffered serious financial difficulties, including bankruptcy in some cases. Purchasers of our recycling commodities can be particularly vulnerable to financial difficulties in times of commodity price volatility. The inability of our customers to pay us in a timely manner or to pay increased rates, particularly significant accounts, could negatively affect our operating results.

We are increasingly dependent on technology in our operations and if our technology fails, our business could be adversely affected.

We may experience problems with the operation of our current information technology systems or the technology systems of third parties on which we rely, as well as the development and deployment of new information technology systems, which could adversely affect, or even temporarily disrupt, all or a portion of our operations until resolved. Inabilities and delays in implementing new systems can also affect our ability to realize projected or expected cost savings.

Additionally, any systems failures could impede our ability to timely collect and report financial results in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

A cybersecurity incident could negatively impact our business and our relationships with customers and expose us to litigation risk.

We use computers in substantially all aspects of our business operations. We also use mobile devices, social networking and other online activities to connect with our employees and our customers. Such uses give rise to cybersecurity risks, including security breach, espionage, system disruption, theft and inadvertent release of information. Our business involves the storage and transmission of numerous classes of sensitive and/or confidential information and intellectual property, including customers' personal information, private information about employees, and financial and strategic information about the Company and its business partners. Further, as the Company pursues its strategy to grow through potential acquisitions and to pursue new initiatives that improve our operations and cost structure, the Company is also expanding and improving its information technologies, resulting in a larger technological presence and corresponding exposure to cybersecurity risk. If we fail to assess and identify cybersecurity risks associated with acquisitions and new initiatives, we may become increasingly vulnerable to such risks. Additionally, while we have implemented measures to prevent security breaches and cyber incidents, our preventative measures and incident response efforts may not be entirely effective. The theft, destruction, loss, misappropriation, or release of sensitive and/or confidential information or intellectual property, or interference with our information technology systems or the technology systems of third parties on which we rely, could result in business disruption, negative publicity, brand damage, violation of privacy laws, loss of customers, potential litigation and liability and competitive disadvantage.

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

The operation of an organic waste processing and composting facility involves risks such as truck accidents, equipment defects, malfunctions and failures.

Any of these risks could potentially result in injury or death of employees and others, a need to shut down or reduce operation of the facility, 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 incident could also tarnish 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 expenses.

We have substantial financial assurance and insurance requirements and increases in the costs of obtaining adequate financial assurance, or the inadequacy of our insurance coverage, could negatively impact our liquidity and increase our liabilities.

The amount of insurance we are required to maintain for environmental liability is governed by statutory requirements. We believe that the cost for such insurance is high relative to the coverage it would provide and therefore, our coverages, wherever possible, are generally maintained at the minimum statutorily required levels. We believe that the cost for such insurance is high relative to the coverage it would provide and, therefore, our coverages are generally maintained at the minimum statutorily-required levels. We face the risk of incurring additional costs for environmental damage if our insurance coverage is ultimately inadequate to cover that damage. The inability of our insurers to meet their commitments in a timely manner and the effect of significant claims or litigation against insurance companies may subject us to additional risks. To the extent our insurers are unable to meet their obligations, or our own obligations for claims are more than we estimated, there could be a material adverse effect to our financial results. As a result of the lack of funding we have not been able to provide complete insurance coverage for the current year.

Our capital requirements and our business strategy could increase our expenses, cause us to change our growth and development plans, or result in an inability to maintain our desired credit profile.

If economic conditions or other risks and uncertainties cause a significant reduction in our cash flows from operations, we may reduce or suspend capital expenditures, growth and acquisition activity and implementation of our business strategy. We may choose to incur indebtedness to pay for these activities, although our access to capital markets is not assured and we may not be able to incur indebtedness at a cost that is consistent with current borrowing rates. We also may need to incur indebtedness to refinance scheduled debt maturities, and it is possible that the cost of financing could increase significantly, thereby increasing our expenses and increasing our net losses. Further, our ability to execute our financial strategy and our ability to incur indebtedness is somewhat dependent upon our ability to maintain investment grade credit ratings on our senior debt. The credit rating process is contingent upon our credit profile, as well as a number of other factors, many of which are beyond our control, including methodologies established and interpreted by third-party rating agencies. If we were unable to maintain our investment grade credit ratings in the future, our interest expense would increase. If we were unable to maintain our investment grade credit ratings in the future, our interest expense would increase Additionally, as of December 31, 2021, we have $7,727,628 (C$9,796,689) (2020-$6,327,520; C$8,056,430) of debt that is exposed to changes in market interest rates within the next 12 months.

Additionally, as of December 31, 2023, we have $nil (C$nil) (2022-$7,285,747; C$9,868,274) of debt that is exposed to changes in market interest rates within the next 12 months. The Company has not been able to obtain a letter of credit for the new financial assurance with the MECP in the amount of $482,117 (C$637,637) and currently reduced to $110,759 (C$146,487), subject to the Company re-submitting its financial assurance re-evaluation. If interest rates increase, our interest expense would also increase, increasing our net losses and decreasing our cash flow.

As at December 31, 2023, and the date of this filing, the Company did not have any revolving credit facility to support cash flow requirements. As a result of defaults on our convertible promissory notes we could be required to immediately repay such debt which we may not be able to do. Additionally, any such default may cause a default under many of our other credit agreements and debt instruments. Without waivers from lenders party to those agreements, and/or the availability of other financing, either debt or equity, any such default would have a material adverse effect on our ability to continue to operate.

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The seasonal nature of our business and severe weather events may cause our results to fluctuate, and prior performance is not necessarily indicative of our future results.

Our operating revenues tend to be somewhat higher in the summer months, primarily due to the higher organic compost sales and higher leaf and yard waste volumes. The volumes of industrial and residential waste in certain regions where we operate also tend to increase during the summer months. Our second and third quarter revenues and results of operations typically reflect these seasonal trends.

Service disruptions caused by severe storms, extended periods of inclement weather or climate extremes resulting from climate change can significantly affect the operating results of the areas affected. While weather-related and other event driven special projects can boost revenues through additional work for a limited time, as a result of significant start-up costs and other factors, such revenue will generate earnings at comparatively higher margins.

For these and other reasons, operating results in any interim period are not necessarily indicative of operating results for an entire year, and operating results for any historical period are not necessarily indicative of operating results for a future period. Our stock price may be negatively or positively impacted by interim variations in our results.

We may experience adverse impacts on our reported results of our operations as a result of adopting new accounting standards or interpretations.

Our implementation of and compliance with changes in accounting rules, including new accounting rules and interpretations, could adversely affect our reported financial position or operating results or cause unanticipated fluctuations in our reported operating results in future periods.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

None.