- 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 as his search continues for the lost BTC, now worth more than $784 million.
James Howells, who has been trying to recover his lost bitcoin—valued at more than $784 million—since 2013, is now attempting to purchase the landfill where he says the drive was discarded.
Howells says he accidentally threw away a hard drive that contained 8,000 BTC and is pursuing the landfill purchase to recover his fortune.
He has taken legal action seeking an order that would compel Newport Council to allow excavation of the site to try to locate the lost bitcoin.
For more than a decade, Newport Council did not take steps to recover the discarded bitcoin, despite Howells’ repeated requests.
Search for the lost BTC
Howells reports that his then-fiancée disposed of the hard drive containing the cryptocurrency at the landfill in 2013. The bitcoin on that drive is today estimated to be worth around $784 million.
To regain his assets, Howells says he would consider buying the landfill. Recent media coverage indicates he has approached potential investors with proposals that could lead to purchasing the entire site.
Since 2013, Howells claims the Newport city council has repeatedly ignored his appeals to search the landfill for his bitcoin. The council has since announced plans to convert the landfill into a solar farm.
Planning permission for a solar energy project on the site has been granted, and Howells has launched legal proceedings to establish a legal basis for searching the area where he says the hard drive was discarded.
In January, a High Court judge dismissed his case that sought to compel Newport Council to allow him to search through the landfill for the lost 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 said Newport Council argued that granting him permission to search the site would have negative impacts on the surrounding community.
Plans are moving ahead to close and redevelop the landfill, and those changes are imminent.
After failing to persuade the council to recover the multi-million-dollar drive for him, Howells says he has offered to buy the entire landfill instead.
“I have discussed this option recently with investment partners and it is very feasible,” he told the BBC.