Turkish garbage collectors have created a library from discarded books.

Yes, there is a library in Ankara composed entirely of books thrown out (presumably) by people who hate reading (or who work in publishing). After Turkish garbage collectors began finding more and more trashed books, they decided to start organizing them in an abandoned brick factory—and voila, a library was born.

At first, the surplus books were lent out to friends and families, but as the library gained in popularity the garbage collectors opened things up to the public, who also began to donate books. With a collection of over 6,000 books, the local municipality, Çankaya, found room in the budget for a full-time library employee, and has converted a garbage truck into a mobile library that doubles as a donations truck.

This gives me hope for society. (Also, note at the end of this video, a garbagemen’s band of trash instruments).