Systems and methods for authorizing a waste item to be removed from a site. In one embodiment, a waste collection vehicle includes a reader configured to obtain identification information from an identification tag associated with the waste item. A transceiver associated with the vehicle is configured to: receive the identification information from the reader, wirelessly transmit the identification information to a remote computer for processing, and wirelessly receive an indication of whether the waste item should be collected and removed by the waste collection. The received indication is based on at least one hazardous characteristic associated with the identified waste item, a determination that the waste collection vehicle is authorized to collect the waste item having the at least one hazardous characteristic, and a determination that a driver of the waste collection vehicle is authorized to collect the waste item having the at least one hazardous characteristic.