Follow UK Immigration and UK Life: Just as the virtual currency Bitcoin is skyrocketing in value and trading prices have broken through the $1,000 mark, a man in the UK is filled with regret. A few months ago, he threw a "dirty hard drive" containing 7,500 Bitcoins into the trash. Today, these Bitcoins are worth at least $7.5 million, but they are buried in a landfill.
James Howells, a 28-year-old IT worker living in Newport, Wales, began diligently "mining" Bitcoin back in 2009 when it was first created. Because his girlfriend could not stand the noise and heat generated by the computer running day and night to mine this virtual currency, he decided to "call it quits," having already accumulated 7,500 Bitcoins.
A year later, the "mining" computer broke. Howells dismantled most of the parts, keeping only the hard drive that contained the private keys. This hard drive, holding 7,500 Bitcoins, sat in a drawer until this summer, when his children accidentally spilled lemonade on it while playing. Howells then casually threw the "dirty hard drive" into the trash without backing up the data inside.
Due to low social acceptance, the price of one Bitcoin was only a few cents in 2009. However, a year ago, the price of 1 Bitcoin rose to $12 or $13, and on November 27, it broke through the $1,000 mark. Every time Howells hears news about this, he thinks of the hard drive thrown into the trash and regrets it deeply—at a market value of $1,000, the 7,500 Bitcoins he threw away are worth at least $7.5 million!
It is reported that the trash from the community where Howells lives is usually sent to a landfill called Docks Way in the Pye Corner area of Newport, which is about the size of a football field. Industry insiders estimate that with the arrival of new daily waste, the trash from three or four months ago is now buried about 4 feet (1.22 meters) underground. Under such a massive mountain of trash, finding a palm-sized hard drive is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
After returning from a field trip to the Docks Way landfill, Howells helplessly told reporters: "I really don't know whether to laugh or cry. Why didn't I just take a shovel and dig? I think I have admitted that it is impossible to find it... Although I have seen the size of the area related to me, I know that this is definitely not something one person can complete."
After making some inquiries, Howells was told that even for professional police, it would require a 15-person team, 2 excavators, and relevant personal protective equipment. If the losses caused by closing the entire landfill are added, this "impossible mission" cannot be completed without an astronomical amount of funding.
Despite the difficulties, Howells still does not intend to give up. To this end, he is preparing to create a dedicated website to search for the "precious hard drive" that was "mistakenly thrown away." Howells is quite optimistic about the future of Bitcoin. He said: "Eventually, when enough people realize its benefits, I believe Bitcoin will surpass all other currencies in the world." It is reported that if the 7,500 Bitcoins can be "recovered," Howells would sell half and keep half, just to "leave himself a way out." A spokeswoman for the Newport City Council recently emphasized that no "treasure hunters" are allowed to enter the Pye Corner landfill, but if the hard drive is ever found, "obviously we will return it to its owner.".
