A British judge has dismissed a man’s attempt to retrieve a Bitcoin-laden hard drive from a city landfill, despite its estimated value soaring to nearly $1 billion next year. James Howells had been searching for the hard drive since 2013, when it was accidentally discarded in his home’s trash.
The hard drive contains over 7,500 Bitcoins, with each now worth over $93,000. However, the city council claims that the hard drive became their property as soon as it entered the landfill. Howells has offered to split its value with the city and pay for excavation himself, but officials argue that environmental permits prevent a search.
The judge ruled that the city council’s argument was convincing and provided a complete answer to the claim, rendering further action unnecessary. Despite this, Howells plans to appeal to the UK supreme court, seeking to recover his lost fortune.
Source: https://fortune.com/2025/01/10/uk-bitcoin-hard-drive-landfill-ruling