In Ankara, Turkey, garbage collectors have built a public library with books that were thrown out by locals and destined to end up in landfills.
When sanitation workers in Ankara began to collect discarded books, they decided to build a library with their finds. First, the garbage collectors gathered discarded books for months, but as news of their effort spread, the city's residents began giving books directly to them.
The library opened first to the sanitation company's employees and their families. In September 2017, however, the library opened up to the general public as interest in it rose.
The library is housed in an old vacant brick factory at the company's headquarters. Today, it has over 6,000 books with a wide range of fiction and nonfiction literature.
Photo by: Dem Altan and Cankaya Belediyesi