Clean Up Australia Day has ended for another year with more than half a million community groups, locals and politicians banding together on Sunday to help the environment by picking up countless pieces of rubbish.

The volunteers combed beaches, rivers, wetlands, parks and schools, finding bottles, containers, cans and plastic bags throughout the day.

Some volunteers used kayaks and canoes to scour the waterways while snorkellers went below the waves at Wollongong to assist in the nationwide clean-up.

Some volunteers were seen picking up old traffic signs while others recovered multiple supermarket trollies.

Starting initially as a clean-up of Sydney Harbour, Clean Up Australia Day has gone on to become the nation's largest community-based environmental event.