UK Landfill Containing 8,000 Bitcoins Cache to be Sealed Forever

Key Takeaways:

• A Newport landfill housing a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoins will permanently close.
• The owner sued for site access or £495m compensation but faced rejection from a judge.
• Newport council documentation confirms the site's closure in the 2025-26 fiscal year.

On February 8, officials disclosed that a Welsh landfill site, allegedly containing a hard drive with 8,000 Bitcoins, is slated for permanent closure. Newport resident James Howells claims his former partner accidentally discarded the BTC hard drive in 2013. 

He reportedly mined 8,000 Bitcoins during the early years of Bitcoin's conception, which have since skyrocketed to hundreds of millions of pounds.

Lost 8,000 Bitcoins Drive Now Worth Nearly $780 Million

According to a report by BBC News, a Newport Council spokesperson confirmed that the landfill, operational since the early 2000s, is nearing the end of its lifespan. Consequently, the council intends to close and cap the site within the next two years.

🇬🇧💼 A landfill in Newport, Wales, where James Howells accidentally discarded a hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoins (now worth £620m) is set to close in 2025-26. Howells' attempts to access the site or seek compensation were unsuccessful.

The council plans to cap and close the…

— Bitcoin.com News (@BTCTN) February 9, 2025

The council's decision comes amid financial adjustments, as reports indicate the authority expects to lose revenue of approximately £777,000 next year and £198,000 the year after. 

However, there is a new vision for the land’s future. The council granted planning permission last August for a solar farm. The facility will power a fleet of electric bin lorries.

For Howells, the landfill’s closure brings a bitter reality. His lost BTC hard drive, which he accidentally discarded in 2013, is now worth an estimated $780 million based on Bitcoin’s current price of $97,875 per coin. 

For more than a decade, he has fought to gain access to the site, determined to recover the digital fortune he mined back in 2009.

After years of back-and-forth with Newport Council, he filed a lawsuit in October 2024, demanding either access to search for his BTC hard drive or $614 million (£495 million) in compensation. 

NEWPORT COUNCIL HIT WITH $646M LAWSUIT OVER LOST 8K BTC

In a high-stakes legal battle, James Howells is suing Newport Council for $646 million to recover 8,000 BTC that he lost when his hard drive was accidentally thrown away in 2013.

Howells has assembled a team with a $13… pic.twitter.com/lhRbFkxESV

— Mario Nawfal’s Roundtable (@RoundtableSpace) October 15, 2024

However, his legal battle reached a dead end earlier this year. The court dismissed his Bitcoin claim, ruling that there were no reasonable grounds for the case and no realistic chance of success in a full trial.

Newport Council’s legal team argued that the law was clear; once an item enters the landfill, it becomes council property. Additionally, environmental regulations strictly prohibit excavation, making any recovery attempt legally difficult and environmentally risky.

The exclusive report further revealed that Howells had previously tried to sway the council with an offer, promising to donate 10% of the recovered 8,000 Bitcoins to benefit the local community. 

However, legal representatives countered that such an arrangement would set a dangerous precedent, suggesting that the council would engage in a speculative venture rather than acting in the public’s best interest.

With the landfill set to shut down in the 2025-26 financial year, the window of opportunity for retrieving the lost 8,000 Bitcoins is rapidly closing. 

Howells' decade-long quest to recover his digital fortune will end as workers seal his $780 million dream beneath layers of earth – forever entombing both the hard drive and his hopes.