UK Landfill at Center of Bitcoin Hard Drive Saga Set to Close
A landfill site in Newport, Wales, that has been the focal point of a man’s decade-long quest to recover a lost hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoin is set to shut down within the next two years, according to a report from BBC News on February 9.
The landfill, located east of Cardiff, has been in operation since the early 2000s and is now reaching the end of its lifecycle. A Newport City Council spokesperson confirmed that a planned closure and capping of the site would take place during the 2025–26 financial year.
In August, the council secured planning permission to develop a solar farm on part of the land, signaling a shift toward renewable energy use for the site.
The Lost Bitcoin Fortune
The landfill may contain a digital treasure trove—the hard drive of James Howells, an IT professional who accidentally discarded the device in 2013. Howells claims the drive holds 8,000 Bitcoin, which he mined in 2009. At current valuations, that stash would be worth approximately $768 million.
For years, Howells fought to gain permission to search the landfill, even offering the council a share of the recovered Bitcoin if his efforts proved successful. He also enlisted the support of AI experts, claiming they could locate the hard drive efficiently and at no cost to the council or the public.
However, his legal battle came to an end in January when a judge dismissed his case, ruling that he had “no realistic prospect” of success.
The Newport Council has remained firm in its refusal, citing environmental regulations that prohibit excavation of the landfill. In October, officials stated that digging up the site would cause significant harm to the surrounding area, making retrieval impossible under current permits.
The Larger Issue of Lost Bitcoin
Howells’ lost Bitcoin represents just a fraction of the digital currency that has vanished over the years. According to Web3 executive Al Leong, as much as 13% of Bitcoin’s total supply—around 3 million coins—may be permanently lost due to misplaced private keys, discarded hardware, and forgotten wallets.
Meanwhile, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino has suggested that advancements in quantum computing could one day unlock lost Bitcoin wallets, potentially returning those coins to circulation. Some analysts warn that if this were to happen, it could trigger significant sell pressure on Bitcoin’s price.
For now, however, Howells’ dream of reclaiming his lost fortune appears to have been buried—quite literally—beneath the landfill that is soon to be sealed off for good.
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