SHEFFIELD, United Kingdom — Eleven McDonald's locations in the Sheffield area have completed a test program turning waste into energy, and found it has helped reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

During the pilot period, the restaurants collected their waste to be incinerated instead of dumped in a landfill, according to the Telegraph newspaper. The restaurants were able to more than halve their waste disposal carbon footprint, cutting their carbon emissions by 54 percent.

A contractor, Veolia Environmental Services, collected the waste and took it to the nearby Energy Recovery Facility waste incinerator. Power generated from the waste was used to help heat and light local buildings, including Sheffield City Hall and a local hospital, according to the paper.

Carbon Trust, a government-funded independent company, helped audit the project. The 11 pilot restaurants will continue to turn their trash into power, and McDonald's will analyze how to implement the program at other locations.

McDonald's has been testing green projects at various restaurants around the world, including a geothermal project in the U.S. and an effort to use cooking oil as fuel in England.