I was getting annoyed that if I put the recycle bin icon on the task bar it wouldn't create it's own separate icon, it would go in the libraries icon list. I found this tutorial that allows you to enable the quick launch toolbar, now you can add the recycle bin icon (or other folder/drive shortcuts) and have them visible with their own icon. I put my drive shortcuts and the Rbin on it, then moved the rest of my icons on the taskbar to the center of the taskbar, works pretty good.
Quick Launch - Enable or Disable - Windows 7 Forums
Shot of my setup:
Quick Launch - Enable or Disable - Windows 7 Forums
Shot of my setup:
