U.K. Man Wants to Buy Landfill Site in Search for Lost $784M of Bitcoin: Report

A man who says he lost $784 million worth of bitcoin (BTC) in a landfill site is talking to investors about potentially buying the land, the BBC reported on Monday.

“I have discussed this option recently with investment partners and it is very much on the table,” James Howells said, according the BBC.

Howells said his ex-girlfriend mistakenly threw out a hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoin in the landfill site on Newport’s Docks Way in 2013. Over the last decade he has made requests to Newport Council to try to retrieve it, and said he was largely ignored. Newport Council declined to comment, the BBC said.

He tried to sue the council for 495 million pounds ($646 million), the peak valuation of the bitcoin in early 2024, but his case was dismissed by the judge in January. The authority plans to close the site in the coming financial year and has permission to build a solar power farm on the land.