Basically, the 3R (Reduce-Reuse-Recycle) Concept is a sequence of steps on how to manage waste properly. The top priority is Reduce, which is to reduce waste generation, then Reuse, and then Recycle, to give waste material a second chance before disposing them to the landfill. Along time, the 5R Concept is introduced after the 3R concept. 2 more stages of waste management process are added in the 5R Concept: the first being Recover, restoring materials that can no longer be recycled into energy sources / environmentally friendly materials to avoid them from landfill. The last stage is Disposal, which is the allocation of garbage that can no longer be recycled or restored at the landfill.
Reversed triangle 3R (Reduce-Reuse-Recycle) concept illustrates the amount of waste volume that should be handled in each sequence. This means, in essence, most of the production of waste should be reduced from the beginning. Only when the production of waste can no longer be avoided, the items are reused, one of the methods of Reuse is through the upcycling process or making handicrafts. When materials can no longer be used again, the waste is recycled, which is melted, chopped, to be formed into a new product that might suffer a decrease in quality. The decrease of quality in recycled materials, as well as the energy and resources needed to recycle waste, are two of several reasons why recycling is not the first priority of handling the waste the proper way. The main priority is always to reduce/prevent the waste generation from the beginning (reduce).

The Reversed Triangle 5R Waste Management Concept:

According to Law 18 of 2008 concerning Waste Management, TPA (Tempat Pengelolaan Sampah – landfill) is a place to safely process and return waste to the environment in the safest and environmentally friendly way, both for humans and the environment itself. In fact, most Indonesians still consider TPA as a final disposal site for all kind of waste.

Regarding the waste reduction effort that ended in the TPA/landfill, along time, the existing 3R concept developed into the 5R reversed triangle concept (Reduce-Reuse-Recycle-Recovery-Disposal) with the following details:

1. Reduce– reduce waste generation from the start by bringing your own shopping bags, using products that can be used repeatedly, and so on
2. Reuse– reuse materials that can and are safe to be reused, one of them is by making handicrafts or through the upcycling process
3. Recycle– recycling waste by melting, chopping to be re-formed into new products that most likely to experience a decline in quality
4. Recovery– when it cannot be recycled, then find a way to produce energy or new material by processing the non-recyclable waste (residue)
5. Disposal– waste byproducts from the recovery process which are generally in the form of ash or other waste material are taken to the landfill to be processed so as not to damage the environment