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2mo ago

Ma

James Howells, who accidentally discarded a hard drive containing thousands of Bitcoins in 2013, is considering purchasing the landfill where he believes it is buried as the site nears closure.

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An aerial view of a Newport Council landfill site
Landfill site (Getty Images / Unsplash)
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Overview

  • James Howells, a computer engineer from Newport, Wales, claims his discarded hard drive contains 8,000 Bitcoins, currently valued at approximately $770 million.
  • The hard drive was mistakenly thrown away in 2013 and is believed to be buried in a landfill containing over 1.4 million tons of waste.
  • Howells recently lost a legal battle to excavate the site, with a judge ruling there was no realistic prospect of success and the council arguing environmental concerns.
  • Newport City Council plans to close the landfill in the 2025-26 financial year and convert part of the site into a solar farm, prompting Howells to propose buying the site outright.
  • Howells has assembled investment partners and a recovery plan involving AI technology and manual sorting but faces skepticism about the hard drive's recoverability after more than a decade underground.