FOR RELEASE WITH STORY BC-JAPAN-PET BOTTLE FROM TOKYO, 1998-08-20 (photo)

A bulldozer scrapes up piles of empty plastic bottles at a recycling plant in Tokyo August 19. Worries about the safety of tap water are boosting sales of bottled water and tea in Japan, leaving piles of empty plastic bottles behind in a country that is already running out of garbage dumps. Industry officials estimate consumption of small-sized PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles will reach 3.5 billion to four billion units this year, nearly the double the 2.2 billion used last year and compared with a more 640 million in 1996. Picture taken 19AUG98. ST/CC