Locals of all ages volunteered their time to clean up the streets and raise awareness about recycling and responsible waste disposal.

Dwayne Tonson was the first volunteer to pick up a bag and hit the streets, filling his first rubbish bag at 7:30am before anyone else was registered.

Mr Tonson said he started on Railway Terrace to "give it a good clean" and filled his first bag easily.

He said he was happy to contribute and planned to pick up litter all day.

"It makes me feel good to do it... being busy with this work."

Peter and Margie Schubert said they volunteered their time because they take pride in the image of Katherine.

"We have a strong interest in the environment and keeping the place we live in the best shape it can be," said Mr Schubert.

He said small efforts from the community can contribute to a cleaner town.

"If you can do a whole lot of the little things the big things get done."

Local litter advocate Jenny Duggan told the Katherine Times people should pick up "three pieces of rubbish a day" in the lead up to Clean Up Australia Day.

Katherine Town Council hosted the event and mayor Lis Clark said she was happy to see people volunteer but numbers "can always improve".

"We want to have a town that doesn't have all this rubbish," she said.

However, Mrs Clark said she has noticed an improvement in the amount of litter in Katherine in the past 15-20 years.

KTC's recently released 2021-2026 Waste Management Strategy has been controversial since it was unveiled, due to a decision by the council to rule out introducing a kerbside recycling service.

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