Best Answer: In England you can fell a tree in your own garden unless it is protected by a Tree Preservation Order or you are in a Conservation Area.
The amount of your Friends of the Smithsonian membership dues, minus the fair market value of your benefits in accordance with IRS regulations, such as your Smithsonian magazine subscription, is tax-deductible. You may customize your benefit choices to increase the tax-deductibility of your contribution, if you wish.
If a charity or its agent can give you a receipt for the value of aluminum cans you donate, then you certainly can deduct the amount of that receipt from your taxes as you would any other tax-deductible donation.