Five hundred wheelie bins were stolen in North Ayrshire over the last year.
The spree of thefts emerged as fire and police chiefs highlighted the problem of bins being set alight.
Area police commander Brian Shaw said he estimated about 500 wheelie bin thefts have been reported to the police.
He said: “There is an issue with wheelie bins across the whole of North Ayrshire.
“Kids steal wheelie bins and they set fire to them.”
Chief Inspector Shaw told the North Ayrshire Police and Fire and Rescue Committee officers have been warning teenagers about the hazards of bin blazes at schools.
The meeting last week heard residents are always encouraged to take their bins in from the street.
Chief Inspector Shaw said North Ayrshire Council replaces missing bins after the thefts are reported to the police and a crime number is generated.
He said: “It is still a crime. We have to investigate all these crimes.”
A total of 629 blazes were started deliberately between April 1 2018 and March 31 2019, according to figures presented to the committee. It is not clear how many related to bins.
116 deliberate fires were started in Stevenston, followed by 106 in Kilwinning, 95 in Irvine West and 81 in Irvine South.
Stevenston councillor Jimmy Miller voiced concern about the rise in the number of fires being set deliberately. Fire area manager Jim Scott said a lot of the blazes are started away from populated areas, including at Ardeer.
