Computer engineer has a new idea to recover his $765M of buried Bitcoin

A hard drive containing Bitcoin worth a staggering $765 million is believed to be buried in a landfill in Wales, U.K., as revealed by computer engineer James Howells.

In 2013, Howells accidentally threw away the small drive, but the local council has denied him access to the landfill site to search for it, citing environmental concerns and ownership disputes.

However, there has been a recent development in the story, with Newport Council announcing plans to close down the site within the next 12 months to convert it into a solar farm for powering garbage trucks. This decision has sparked a new idea for Howells to retrieve his lost hard drive.

“I would consider buying the landfill site,” Howells stated, indicating discussions with investment partners on this possibility. “It is a serious consideration at this point.”

The landfill site contains over 1.4 million tons of waste, with Howells estimating the hard drive to be in a section holding around 100,000 tons of material.

If successful in locating the drive and its 8,000 Bitcoins, Howells plans to use a team of human sorters, robot dogs, and AI technology to identify the hard drive on a conveyor belt. However, there is a risk that the drive may be damaged beyond recovery.

In the event of a successful recovery, Howells intends to keep 30% of the Bitcoins for himself, distribute 30% to the recovery team, allocate 30% to investors, and share the remaining portion with local causes and residents of Newport.

DailyTech previously covered Howells’ lost hard drive in 2020 when the Bitcoin value was $75 million, significantly lower than the current $765 million worth.

Reflecting on the potential windfall, Howells mentioned to Business Insider in 2022 that he tries not to dwell on the possibilities to avoid overwhelming himself with excitement.