Recycling is gaining popularity as a practical solution to the plastic waste (PW) problem, as landfill disposal and burning have detrimental impacts on human and environmental health. The research focuses on developing a mathematical model to determine the best plastic waste recycling technique (PWRT) considering social, environmental, and financial factors, as effective management of PW is crucial for environmental and public health. In this sense, the challenge of optimal PWRT selection has been modelled as a multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) problem under a picture fuzzy environment (PFE). The concepts of conventional Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) and Measurement of Alternatives and Ranking according to COmpromise Solution (MARCOS) methodologies have been expanded under PFE with the help of Picture fuzzy weighted geometric operator (PFWGO) to determine the ideal PWRT. An enhanced picture fuzzy scoring function (PFSF) has been created to rank picture fuzzy numbers (PFNs) regardless of their membership and non-membership grades. The key characteristics of the suggested PFSF have been verified theoretically. The proposed technique has identified CLR as the optimal PWRT. To assess the integrity and resilience of the suggested approach, sensitivity and comparison studies have been conducted.