UK landfill with $768M Bitcoin hard drive set to close by 2026

A landfill site in Newport, Wales, which holds a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC), is scheduled to close by the 2025-26 financial year.

The site, which has been in use since the early 2000s, is approaching the end of its operational life.

"The landfill has been in exploitation since the early 2000s and is coming to the end of its life, therefore the council is working on a planned closure and capping of the site over the next two years," a spokesperson for the Newport City Council stated.

The council has also secured approval to establish a solar farm on part of the land.

James Howells, an IT worker from the area, claims that his hard drive, containing 8,000 BTC he mined in 2009, was mistakenly thrown away in 2013.

At current prices, the Bitcoin would be valued at approximately $768 million.

Howells has spent years in a legal battle with the Newport council, seeking permission to excavate the landfill and recover his lost Bitcoin.

In January 2025, the court dismissed his case, citing a lack of realistic prospects for success.

Howells had offered to fund the excavation using AI experts to locate the drive at no cost to the council or the public. 

However, the council rejected the proposal, stating that excavation would violate its environmental permit due to potential negative impacts.

The case adds to the growing issue of lost Bitcoin, with estimates suggesting that up to 13% of the total supply may be inaccessible.

Tether (CRYPTO:USDT) CEO Paolo Ardoino speculated that quantum computing could eventually unlock "lost wallets" containing Bitcoin, although this could affect the market.

Howells' battle continues as the landfill is set to close, leaving his Bitcoin locked in uncertainty.

At the time of reporting, the Bitcoin (BTC) price was $97,296.88.