The Catholic Justice and Peace Commission of Brisbane has challenged all Catholic parishes, schools and agencies to take the Pope's call for ecological conversion seriously by making concerted efforts to recycle resources more diligently.

The call was made at the beginning of National Recycling Week.

The Commission's Executive Officer, Peter Arndt, said that the Church should be leading the way for the rest of the community by implementing practices which reduce waste and recycle resources.

"All of us in the developed world have to stop acting as if the resources we consume are limitless," Mr Arndt said.

"Throwing away large amounts of steel, aluminium, glass, plastic, paper and cardboard is a reckless disregard for those people in the world who don't have enough of the basic needs of life," he said.

"It also shows a lack of concern for the welfare of future generations who will face the consequences of a consumption-mad mentality," he said.

Mr Arndt said that recycling resources conserves the limited resources at our disposal and saves large amounts of energy and water used in producing goods.

"Making new steel cans from recycled cans saves 75% of the energy used to make them from iron ore and coal," he said.

"Using recycled plastic to make new plastic products saves 80% of the energy needed to start from scratch," he said.

"Making paper from recycled paper saves 80% of the energy needed to make it from wood chips and uses as little as 1% of the water," he said.

"Using a lot less energy and water also helps to address serious environmental problems such as atmospheric and water pollution, global warming and climate change," he added.

"Recycling resources is a practical way of caring for the good of all people, now and into the future," he said.

"It's one change in our lifestyle which brings Christ's message of loving our neighbour into the lives of people all around the world," he said.

"What a difference it would make if every Catholic agency, school and parish made a commitment to recycle their resources for the sake of every person on the Earth," he said.

The Commission has sent parishes and agencies a resource to help them to recycle resources more effectively.