By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

A health inspector has been assigned to investigate the alleged collection of “gutter oil” from a puddle by an unknown worker allegedly from a Chinese restaurant in New Providence, according to officials from the Department of Environmental Health Services.

A video of the incident has gone viral on social media since Wednesday, showing a man alleged to be a worker at the Chinese restaurant in question caught on camera using a large spoon to scoop what appears to be a puddle of refuse into a large, yellow container.

Although the reasons for him doing so have not been confirmed, his actions have already been linked by some observers to the illegal Chinese practice of collecting “gutter oil” — an illicit cooking oil that has been recycled from waste oil collected from sources such as restaurant fryers, grease traps, slaughterhouse waste and sewerage from sewer drains.

Senior officials at the DEHS told The Tribune that all information pertaining to the alleged incident has been forwarded to the department’s Health Inspectorate, and that the initial complaint will be forwarded to its Complaints Unit.

One senior official has pegged the alleged incident as being an “urgent matter” for officials. However, attempts to get further information about the investigation from DEHS officials were unsuccessful up to press time.

Still, the incident in question has gained significant traction on social media.