What began as a routine day of collecting rubbish in the streets of Ankara slowly turned into one of Turkey’s most inspiring community projects. Sanitation workers in the city’s Cankaya district noticed that perfectly readable books were frequently being discarded alongside household waste. Instead of sending them to landfill, workers started setting the books aside, hoping someone might one day read them again. The collection continued to grow as more books were rescued from bins and abandoned piles. Residents later began donating directly, and the idea eventually evolved into a fully functioning public library that today holds around 40,000 books and serves readers across the community.
How Garbage workers built a 40,000-book library
The project started around 2016 when garbage collectors working for the Cankaya Municipality began rescuing books during their daily collection rounds. At first, the workers simply shared the books among themselves and their families. Many of the books had been thrown away despite being in good condition.As the collection expanded, municipal employees discussed creating a dedicated library space where the rescued books could be preserved and borrowed. The initiative quickly gained support from local officials, including Cankaya Mayor Alper Taşdelen.The library officially opened to the public in 2017 inside a former brick factory located at the sanitation department headquarters in Ankara.The library originally contained only a few thousand salvaged books, but public awareness dramatically increased donations. Residents from across Ankara began contributing books directly rather than throwing them away.Over time, the collection expanded to include literature, history, science, philosophy, children’s books, encyclopedias, academic texts and foreign-language works. Municipal updates in recent years reported that the library’s capacity had grown to roughly 40,000 books.The collection now includes titles in multiple languages, including English and French, making it accessible to a wider group of readers.
A library built inside an old factory
One of the most distinctive features of the project is its location. The library operates from a renovated brick factory once used by the sanitation department. The industrial setting, with its exposed brick walls and long corridors, gave the space a unique atmosphere that many visitors compare to a cultural warehouse filled with hidden treasures.Inside, the library contains reading rooms, lounge areas, study spaces and dedicated children’s sections. Visitors can also find chess boards and quiet seating areas designed to encourage longer reading sessions.The space became particularly popular among local students and municipal employees, while cyclists travelling through nearby valleys often stop for tea and reading breaks.
More than a local project
The rescued books eventually became too numerous for the library alone. According to municipal reports, the collection started supporting schools, educational programmes and even prisons by supplying free reading material.Village teachers from different parts of Turkey also requested books for students in underserved areas. To manage the growing operation, the municipality hired full-time staff to organise donations and oversee the library’s catalogue.The project has since become an international example of recycling combined with public education, demonstrating how discarded materials can be transformed into valuable cultural resources.The Ankara library attracted worldwide attention because it combined environmental awareness with literacy and community cooperation. The idea that books considered worthless by some people could become valuable resources for others resonated strongly online and in international media coverage.For many readers, the project symbolised more than recycling. It reflected the belief that knowledge should remain accessible regardless of income or background.The library also challenged assumptions about waste itself. What many residents viewed as rubbish became the foundation of a public institution used by thousands of people.
A reminder that books can outlive their owners
Nearly a decade after the first books were rescued from garbage piles, the library continues to operate as part of Cankaya’s municipal library network. Its shelves stand as proof that discarded objects can still hold enormous cultural value when communities choose preservation over waste.For the sanitation workers who first began collecting abandoned books, the project transformed their daily work into something far larger than refuse collection. They did not simply save books from landfill. They created a space where forgotten stories could continue to be read for years to come.
