- James Howells claims he lost a hard drive containing 8,000 BTC in a landfill in 2013.
- The man now wants to buy the landfill, while the search for the lost BTC—worth more than $784 million—continues.
James Howells, the man who has been trying to recover his lost bitcoin—now estimated to be worth over $784 million—says he is seeking to purchase the landfill where he believes the hard drive was discarded in 2013.
Howells says he accidentally threw away a hard drive containing 8,000 BTC and is pursuing the purchase of the landfill where it was lost as part of his effort to reclaim the fortune.
He previously sued Newport Council asking the authority to excavate the landfill to search for the lost bitcoin. For more than a decade, Newport Council has not undertaken any recovery efforts to retrieve the discarded hard drive.
Search for the lost BTC
Howells reports that his partner accidentally threw away the hard drive that contains the cryptocurrency, which is now estimated to have a market value of $784 million, in a landfill in 2013.
In his effort to retrieve the crypto assets, Howells says he is prepared to buy the waste site. The BBC recently reported that Howells has approached various investors with an offer to potentially buy the entire landfill. Since 2013, Howells alleges that Newport City Council has repeatedly denied his requests to be allowed to search for his assets.
The local council has announced plans to convert the landfill into a solar farm and has since obtained planning permission to install a solar energy facility on the site.
Howells brought a legal case against the council seeking the legal basis to search for the accidentally discarded bitcoin. In January, a High Court judge dismissed his claim that would have compelled Newport Council to allow him to search the site by force.
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 argued a search warrant would have harmful effects on the people living around Newport.
Plans to close and redevelop the landfill were also underway, and the site’s impending transformation factored into the council’s stance.
After failing to compel the council to recover the multimillion-dollar hard drive on his behalf, Howells says he has offered to buy the entire landfill himself.
“I’ve recently discussed this option with investment partners and it is very much on the table,” he told the BBC.