Metal

Aluminium has the highest value of any recyclable packaging material - £30 million a year is currently uncollected
A recycled aluminium can saves enough energy to run a television for three hours
Every UK resident uses equivalent of 240 steel cans a year

Wash out cans to avoid them getting smelly
Crush cans with a can crusher or a well protected foot
Don't forget that aluminium foil used for baking and fast food containers is also recyclable - if your local authority doesn't collect foil then ask them to
There is no need to but taking labels off cans makes a strange difference to the way you regard them – from waste to resource
If you have quite a bit of metal after a diy project take it to a scrap merchant and get some money