Landfill site at centre of Bitcoin saga to close down

Nicholas Thomas, local democracy reporter

A city council anticipates losing a lucrative income stream next year when its landfill site shuts down.

Newport council expects it will miss out on nearly £1 million that would have been generated by the disposal of commercial waste at the site off Docks Way.

The landfill site has perhaps become best-known in recent years as the focus of a long dispute between the council and a man who believes his hard drive containing Bitcoin worth millions of pounds may be buried there.

In January, it was reported a High Court judge threw out the man’s attempt to sue the council to recover the drive.

2025/26 financial year

Draft budget reports show the council expects the landfill site to close for good in the 2025/26 financial year.

The council’s Household Waste Recycling Centre, to the north, will remain open and is not affected by the landfill closure plan.

“Since 2015, when all non-recyclable waste started to be sent to an energy-for-waste plant, the landfill is used only for disposal of commercial waste,” a council spokesperson said.

“The landfill has been in exploitation since the early 2000s and is coming to the end of its life, therefore the council is working on a planned closure and capping of the site over the next two years.”

Reports show the council expects to miss out on revenue income worth £777,000 next year, and a further £198,000 a year later.

Capping works

The local authority also spent more than £2 million of its capital budget on capping works at the site in the past five years.

Despite the loss of income from its waste streams drying up, the council will hope to continue benefiting from the site, and has secured planning permission for a solar farm on part of the land.

Members of the local authority’s planning committee approved proposals last August for the solar project, which is expected to power the council’s new bin lorries.

The council said it currently has seven electric refuse vehicles and will gradually phase out diesel trucks, replacing them with electric versions, “over the next few years”.