The Air Pollution Act, 1987 (Licensing of Industrial Plant) Regulations, 1988 (S.I. No. 266 of 1988), prohibit the operation of industrial plants used for the extraction or recovery, by burning or by the application of heat, of, inter alia, copper from any scrap metal or alloy, waste material or residue including scrap or waste cable, without a licence under the Act being in force. The Air Pollution Act, 1987 (No. 6 of 1987) defines industrial plant to include any land which is used for the purpose of an industrial process; industrial process is defined to include the recovery, by burning, of copper from scrap metal or alloy, waste material or waste cable.
The licensing of such industrial plant and the enforcement of regulations made under the Act are matters for the relevant local authority. Local authorities have powers under sections 26 and 27 of the Act to prevent or limit air pollution affecting any part of their functional area or any adjoining area.
In addition, depending on the circumstances, the burning of copper waste requires a licence from the environmental protection agency under the Environmental Protection Agency Act or the Waste Management Act, 1996, or a waste permit from the relevant local authority, as appropriate.