A judge recently denied the suspect wallet’s owner access to the landfill
A landfill site in Newport, Wales, linked to a long-running search for a lost Bitcoin fortune, is set to close within the next two years. The site, which has been in operation since the early 2000s, is nearing the end of its lifespan, and the Newport City Council has confirmed plans for its closure and capping by the 2025-26 financial year.
The landfill gained international attention due to IT worker James Howells, who claims to have accidentally discarded a hard drive in 2013 that contained 8,000 Bitcoin. At today’s value, the cryptocurrency would be worth around $768 million. Howells has spent the past decade fighting for permission to excavate the site in hopes of recovering the device, offering the council a share of the recovered funds.
His legal battle with the Newport City Council ended in January when a judge dismissed his case, stating that his claim had no realistic chance of success. Howells had proposed using artificial intelligence and specialized experts to locate the hard drive without causing environmental harm. However, council officials maintained that excavation would be too disruptive and was not permitted under environmental regulations.
Adding another layer to the situation, the council has already secured planning permission to install a solar farm on part of the landfill site. This project, approved in August, suggests that officials have no intention of reversing their stance on Howells’ request.
The lost Bitcoin is part of a broader issue of digital assets trapped in inaccessible wallets. Some experts estimate that nearly 3 million Bitcoin—roughly 13% of the total supply—are lost due to forgotten passwords, misplaced devices, or destroyed hardware. While some speculate that future quantum computing advancements could unlock lost wallets, any potential recovery remains uncertain.
