"Lost Bitcoin Treasure: UK Landfill's Closure Reignites Hope for $768M Jackpot"

A landfill site in the UK, located in Newport, Wales, is set to close in the 2025-26 financial year. The site, which has been in operation since the early 2000s, is nearing the end of its lifespan, and the local council is working on a planned closure and capping of the site over the next two years. The council has secured planning permission for a solar farm on part of the land, which was approved in August.

This landfill site has gained attention due to its potential connection to a lost hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoin (BTC), which would currently be worth around $768 million. Local IT worker James Howells claimed that the hard drive, which he mined in 2009, ended up at the tip after his former partner mistakenly binned it in 2013. Howells has been engaged in a decade-long legal battle with the Newport council, seeking permission to dig around the landfill to retrieve the drive or be compensated for his loss. However, his efforts have been unsuccessful, with a judge dismissing the case in January, citing no realistic prospect of success at a full trial.

The council has previously stated that excavation is not possible under its environmental permit due to the huge negative environmental impact on the surrounding area. The 8,000 BTC on the lost drive is a small part of a larger digital black hole, which could be as much as 13% of the Bitcoin supply or around 3 million coins, according to Web3 executive Al Leong. Some analysts warn that the recovery of these lost coins through quantum computing could put sell pressure on Bitcoin.