A bakery worker has been sacked after he was caught brazenly pouring cooking oil down a stormwater drain in Sydney‘s trendy eastern suburbs.
A passerby filmed the worker outside The Grumpy Baker in Coogee on Sunday as he dumped the used oil into the waterways, and then shared the clip online.
The short two-second video quickly went viral, with viewers calling for the worker to be fired and investigated by police for polluting.
Owner of The Grumpy Baker, Michael Cthurmer, later confirmed to Nine News on Thursday that the man was indeed a staff member, but he had been dismissed.
‘We were devastated to see this and have never encountered something like this before in our 24 years of running The Grumpy Baker,’ Cthurmer said.
‘We have been in constant contact with all of our stores and staff since the weekend, to reiterate and retrain on our standards and procedures.’
It is illegal to dispose of chemicals, oils, paints and litter down stormwater drains in Australia as they connect to local waterways.
Dumping oil into the drains could result in serious damage to the local environment, infrastructure and wildlife.
A worker from The Grumpy Baker (above) was filmed pouring cooking oil down a storm drain
The worker (above) was fired and the incident is under investigation
Randwick City Council is investigating the matter and claimed those convicted of offences connected to stormwater drains could face fines up to $30,000.
The worker has not been charged.
‘This is a serious water pollution incident, and our Senior Environmental Officers are currently investigating the matter,’ a council spokesperson said.
The council thanked those who reported the incident.
The Grumpy Baker is assisting in Randwick City Council investigation.
As part of the ongoing effort to keep its waterways clear, Sydney Water urged cafes, restaurants and other hospitality businesses to properly train their staff on safe oil disposal.
Those businesses can opt to have their used oil collected for free.
‘The drain is just for water – chemicals, oils, paints and litter don’t belong there,’ NSW EPA states on its website.
‘Do not allow anything other than clean rainwater to enter the stormwater drain on or near your premises.’
