The British man who lost Bitcoin worth $780m in the garbage now wants to buy landfill
James Howells just won’t give up.
After losing the alphanumeric keys to 8,000 Bitcoin in a UK landfill 11 years ago, the computer engineer has tried everything to excavate a hard drive and recover a fortune now worth $780 million.
He sued the municipal government in Newport, Wales, to permit him to sift through more than 350,000 tonnes of rubbish to no avail — last month, a UK court denied his petition.
Now Howells may have only one move left: buying the landfill where his fortune is buried.
The landfill is slated for closure in the Newport council’s 2025-2026 fiscal year, the BBC reported.
If he can acquire the dump, he won’t need permission to search for the device that could restore his lost fortune.
“I would be potentially interested in purchasing the landfill site,” Howells told the BBC, adding that he has already spoken with investment partners. “It is very much on the table.”
Newport council, which previously argued that excavating the landfill would pose environmental risks and disrupt city operations, has yet to comment on the potential sale.
The municipality has already approved plans to convert the site into a solar farm.
Howells has long maintained that a search for the hard drive could be done in an environmentally safe manner.
He even pitched a plan involving AI-driven scanning, industrial robots, and environmental engineers to ensure minimal disruption to the site.
The council never entertained the proposal, leading Howells to take his case to court in 2024 — only to have it dismissed.
Judge Keyser KC ruled that the only relevant legal question was ownership, and since the hard drive was discarded as waste, it legally belonged to the city.
Crypto market movers
- Bitcoin has increased by 1.1% over the past 24 hours and is trading at $97,850.
- Ethereum is down 0.6% over the same period to $2,650.
What we’re reading
- Trump-backed World Liberty Financial is loading up on crypto. Here’s why ― DL News
- Ahead of Debanking Hearings, Industry Is Divided on Political Strategy ― Unchained
- How to invest in AI (successfully)! ― Milk Road
- New stablecoin bill would force Tether to the US. ‘This is a big come to God moment’ ― DL News
Kyle Baird is DL News’ Weekend Editor. Got a tip? Email at kbaird@dlnews.com.
