James Howells, a man from Wales who lost 8,000 Bits, has been fighting for many years. He just lost another appeal, trying to gain the right to buy and excavate this site, and plans to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights.

The city of Newport plans to block the landfill and turn it into a solar farm by 2026. They have a long-term economic vision for this site and are not concerned about Howells' persistent efforts.

Howells' Journey to Recover Bits from the Landfill

The Bit price has skyrocketed in recent years. There is no shortage of stories from people who bought BTC long ago and lost or spent it. However, some go further with their regrets.

James Howells, a man who lost a hard drive containing 8,000 Bits, has been fighting for years to excavate the landfill where it is located.

Although UK courts have repeatedly refused to allow Howells to dig up the landfill and recover his Bits, the potential benefits are too great to ignore.

He offered the Newport local council $72 million in 2021 and tried to buy the landfill in February this year. Today, his legal battle faced another obstacle as another appeal was denied:

"Appeal request to the Royal Court of Appeal: denied. The unjust system of the UK once again... The state always protects the state. Next stop: European Court of Human Rights," Howells posted on social media.

According to reports, the presiding judge dismissed Howells' arguments. He said this effort had "no real prospect of success" and there was "no compelling reason" for the Court to consider his appeal.

Furthermore, the Newport city council is not interested in Bits and plans to block and redevelop the landfill by 2026.

In fact, there are many sad cases of lost Bits, but few as prominent as Howells' landfill story.

In 2021, the UK government estimated that $140 billion worth of Bits had been lost. This figure has increased significantly since then. Even if Howells could excavate the site, it is highly unlikely his hard drive would still be functional.

In summary, storing Cryptoassets in a hardware wallet is probably the safest method, but anything can happen. Unexpected accidents like Howells' have and continue to destroy large sums of money around the world.

Overall, he remains determined to reclaim the Bits from the landfill, but this appears to be an impossible task.