dcwcreations / Shutterstock.com Metal Cans Recycle Curbside dcwcreations / Shutterstock.com Rinse clean before recycling. Rinse Before Recycling Empty and rinse out steel food cans before recycling them. Ways to Reuse Pen or Paintbrush Holder Clean out empty food cans and use them to store or organize pens, pencils, paintbrushes, or other office, art and craft supplies. Did You Know? Metal Can Be Recycled Again and Again Steel food cans can be recycled over and over again because they don’t lose any of their quality or functionality during the recycling process. Tin Can Recycling in the 1940s