It used to be considered waste, and restaurant owners had to pay to have it carted off. But with the popularity of biofuels, frying oils used in food production have become a commodity. Now people pay the restaurateurs to let them haul it off.

So, of course, now that cooking grease has a value, it’s subject to theft. A couple of Detroit-area thieves have found themselves in hot, um… oh let’s just say water after trying to grease their palms with the oil of a local restaurant, as told in this story from the  Detroit News.