The City of Ottawa is making some changes to the types of plastics you can throw into your blue recycling box.

Although some people have been throwing all kinds of plastics into their blue box for years, not all those plastics were allowed.

Now, all food and household plastic containers will be accepted, ranging from plastic egg containers to plastic flower pots. Plastic bags will still not be accepted.

"When you pick up some lemon pudding cake today you can actually start recycling this bin. It is effective immediately that you can put these in your blue box," Coun. Maria McRae told reporters at a news conference on Friday.

Items that will now be accepted include:

  • Any food and household plastics that have recycling numbers one through seven on them, including take-out containers
  • Plastic pails, without the metal handle
  • Plastic planting trays
  • Plastic flower pots
  • Single-serving yogurt containers
  • Clear plastic egg cartons

Once recyclables are collected, they are sorted and sold to different companies in Ontario, Quebec and the United States to use for manufacturing.

Allowing more items into the blue box will cost the city about $46,000 annually.

However, the city also makes money off the recycling. McRae says the city made more than $8 million in revenue from recyclables in 2010.

The city will now focus its attention on a recycling plan that will accept Styrofoam.