Man fired after pouring cooking oil down the drain outside popular bakery

A man who poured cooking oil down a stormwater drain has been fired from a popular beachside bakery in Sydney.

A video shared on social media showed the man with a large container outside the Grumpy Baker in Coogee on Sunday.

He was seen watching the oil spill into the drain.

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The video quickly gained attention.

The Grumpy Baker owner Michael Cthurmer confirmed to 9news.com.au that the man was a staff member.

"We were devastated to see this and have never encountered something like this before in our 24 years of running The Grumpy Baker," he said.

Cthurmer said he has dismissed the man and will retrain all his remaining staff on safe oil disposal.

"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," he said.

The Randwick City Council is investigating the matter and said these types of offences can result in fines of up to $30,000.

"This is a serious water pollution incident, and our Senior Environmental Officers are currently investigating the matter," a council spokesperson said.

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"We would like to thank the people who quickly reported this incident, and remind the community and local businesses of their environmental obligations and that incidents like this are unacceptable."

The Grumpy Baker is working with the council in the investigation.

Sydney Water has been running educational campaigns and has been ordered to do more on safe oil disposal after an increase in oils and fats entering the wastewater system led to debris balls washing up along the state's coastline and created a fatberg off the Malabar wastewater facility.

Cafes, restaurants and other hospitality businesses are urged to responsibly manage used cooking oil to prevent damage to the environment and the city's water networks.

They can have their used oil collected for free.

"Fats, oils, and grease (commonly known as FOG) are a major cause of blockages, overflows, and environmental harm when improperly disposed of," a Sydney Water spokesperson said.

"Pouring used cooking oil down sinks, wastewater drains, stormwater drains, or directly into grease traps can lead to serious plumbing issues, costly repairs, and pollution in our waterways."

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