Quick Facts:
- Lost Fortune: Over 7,500 BTC, accidentally discarded in 2013, Currently Valued at £620M ($768M), projected to hit £1B ($1.2B) by 2026.
- New Strategy: Plans to buy the landfill to secure access.
- Environmental Challenges: Needs government approval for excavation.
- Crypto Plan B: Considering a token or NFT project to fund recovery efforts.
James Howells’ decade-long quest to recover his 7,500 Bitcoin fortune has taken a new turn. After a UK court dismissed his case last month, the Newport-based IT engineer now wants to buy the landfill where he believes his lost hard drive, worth £620 million ($768 million), remains buried.
Howells originally sought permission from Newport City Council to excavate the landfill, arguing that he had narrowed the search area to 100,000 tonnes of waste. However, the council repeatedly blocked his attempts, citing environmental risks and laws that deemed the discarded hard drive as its property.
His case was formally thrown out on January 9, with Judge Andrew John Keyser ruling that there were “no reasonable grounds” for the claim and “no realistic prospect” of success. Undeterred, Howells is now shifting his approach: rather than fighting for access, he wants to own the landfill outright.
The Battle for Excavation Rights
Howells’ fight to reclaim his over 7,500 Bitcoin fortune has faced continuous roadblocks, but he remains determined. As an early Bitcoin adopter in 2009, he mined the now-lost BTC when the asset held little value. Years later, after realizing that his hard drive had been discarded by his former girlfriend, he worked with a team of specialists to pinpoint its potential location within Newport’s Docksway landfill, narrowing the search to a 100,000-tonne section within the 1.4 million-tonne site.
Despite presenting multiple excavation proposals—including offers to share a portion of the recovered Bitcoin with Newport City Council—Howells’ requests were repeatedly rejected. The council argued that UK waste regulations automatically transferred ownership of the hard drive to them upon disposal and that strict environmental laws prohibit excavation.
His case was formally dismissed on January 9, with the High Court ruling that the claim had “no reasonable grounds” and “no realistic prospect” of success. However, recent developments suggest the site may not remain untouched for long. Newport City Council has secured planning permission to shut down the landfill by 2026 and convert part of it into a solar farm—a move Howells claims contradicts their argument that excavation would be too disruptive.
With legal avenues closing, Howells has now turned to a new strategy—purchasing the landfill outright.
Regulatory Hurdles and Strategic Moves
Despite his plans to acquire the landfill, Howells still faces significant regulatory challenges. Excavating the site would require approval from Natural Resources Wales, which enforces strict environmental protections that currently prohibit such operations. Before negotiations can proceed, Howells must first determine if Newport City Council is open to selling the site to a private investment group.
Discussions with potential investors are already underway, though Howells has yet to disclose specific names. He indicated that there are “a few options on the table” and that any formal deal would require a structured approach, including obtaining excavation permits.
However, if the effort to purchase the landfill stalls, Howells is considering an alternative funding route—launching a utility token or NFT project tied to his mission. He expressed confidence that the crypto community would rally behind him, providing the financial backing needed to continue the fight for recovery.
