The little can went away for my recycle bin icon. The word recycle bin is still there and the hot spot works as it should, a recycle bin. I have no picture to go with that little square of utility.

Which version of Windows are you running?

For something like this, my first step would be to reboot the computer and see if it comes back. But if it doesn't, like Marian says, we will need to know your Windows version.

Or right-click your desktop and select Refresh. This will (should) redraw all your desktop icons