• James Howells claims to have lost a hard drive with 8,000 BTC at a landfill site in 2013.
• The man now wants to buy the landfill site as the search for the lost BTC worth over $784 million continues.

James Howells, the man who has been in search of his lost bitcoin worth over $784 million since 2013 is seeking to buy a landfill.

Howell claims to have mistakenly discarded a hard drive that contained 8,000 BTC and is seeking to buy the landfill site where he lost it in an attempt to recover his fortune.

The man filed a lawsuit in a bid to have the Newport Council dig up the landfill to try and find the lost bitcoin.  In over 10 years Newport Council has made no attempts to try to recover the discarded bitcoin.

The quest for lost BTC

James Howells reported that his fiance discarded the hard drive containing cryptocurrency estimated to have a market value of $784 million in the landfill site in 2013. In an attempt to get his crypto assets back, Howells wants to buy the landfill site.

BBC recently reported that Howells has approached various investors with a bid to potentially buy the whole landfill site.

Since 2013, Howells claims that Newport city council have disregarded his plea to be allowed to search for his fortune. The city council has announced plans to have the landfill site converted to a solar farm. They have since acquired planning permission to establish a solar power firm on the site.

Howells had filed a lawsuit against the council seeking legal grounds to hunt for the accidentally discarded bitcoin. In January, a high court judge made a ruling dismissing the case that required Newport council to forcefully allow Howells to search for his bitcoin.

James Howells threw away $750 million of bitcoin accidentally a decade ago and has been trying to recover the hard drive from a landfill ever since. Today, a judge has rejected his latest attempt to search through 110,000 tons of garbage for his digital gold. pic.twitter.com/douIDzDdQO

— Documenting ₿itcoin (@DocumentingBTC) January 11, 2025

During the hearing, Howells noted that Newport council claimed that granting him a search warrant would have detrimental effects on the people around Newport. Plans to close the landfill were also underway, and that would be soon.

After failed attempts to have the council retrieve the hard drive worth millions for him, Howells offered to buy the whole landfill.

“I have discussed this option recently with investment partners and it is very much on the table,” he said, according to the BBC.

• James Howells lost his court battle against Newport City Council in January
• The judge ruled that there were “no reasonable grounds” for succeeding at a full trial
• Today, Howells’ Bitcoin would be worth around $780 million

A UK landfill site where a man lost his hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoin is reportedly set to close in the 2025-26 financial year.

The site, in Newport, Wales, “has been in exploitation since the early 2000s and is coming to the end of its life, therefore the council is working on a planned closure and capping of the site over the next two years,” said a council spokesperson.

According to the BBC, a solar farm will be built on part of the site after it received planning permission last August.

Lost battle

In January, James Howells lost his court battle against Newport City Council to recover his lost hard drive. In 2013, his former partner mistakenly threw it out in a black bin bag.  Judge Keyser KC, the Circuit Commercial Judge for Wales, dismissed Howells’ case. At the time, Keyser stated there were no “reasonable grounds” for succeeding at a full trial.

Over the last 12 years, Howells tried to engage with Newport City Council to recover his lost hard drive, but was “largely ignored.”

At the time of his loss, his assets – that he mined in 2009 – were worth around $1.3 million. Today, they would be valued at over $780 million.