Empty Can
noun
You know that 空く means "to become empty," and 缶 means can, so this must be an empty can.
空き缶 usually refers to drink cans after their contents have been consumed, rather than a brand-new empty can that hasn't been filled yet. In other words, it's the kind of can you'd throw away or recycle after finishing your drink.
This word is a combination of 空く and 缶, so if you know the readings for those, you should be fine here.
空き缶を使う
to use an empty can
空き缶をすてる
to throw away an empty can
空き缶を拾う
to pick up an empty can
空き缶を集める
to collect empty cans
空き缶はここに入れてください。
Please put empty cans in here.
なんでこんなとこに空き缶があるの？
Why are there empty cans here?
空き缶はリサイクルできるはずだよ。
Empty cans should be recyclable.