"We want people to know ahead of time what to do and have efficient and effective collection or removal of debris after a disaster," said Denise Barrett, the city's communications director. "We wanted a small handout, something handy to keep in the kitchen, just in case, heaven forbid, we have to do this again."

The two-sided card will provide information in English and Spanish.

After Hurricane Wilma last year, the city spent several months and $10 million on debris removal and general cleanup. The money was taken from the city's reserves, but the Federal Emergency Management Agency is expected to reimburse most of that amount.

"This was the first time we suffered such devastation," Barrett said. "People were putting tree branches in the same piles of stuff from their porch. They can't do that. The debris is taken to two different locations and treated separately."

Mixing the types of waste, she said, slowed down the removal process.

"The faster it gets collected, the better everyone is," Barrett said.

The City Commission this month approved a new ordinance defining disaster debris and the need for separating vegetative and structural debris items. According to the city, a "disaster" is a natural or human-caused event or occurrence that results in substantial injury or harm to the population or substantial damage to or loss of property.

The ordinance also requires residents to separate and place household waste inside garbage cans for collection.

After such an emergency, Barrett said, the city would give the start and end dates of debris pickup through its Web site, media outlets and its CodeRED Emergency Notification System, an ultra high-speed telephone communication service.

To sign up for the free CodeRED service, visit www.westonfl.org and click on "CodeRED" to find the form, or call City Hall at 954-385-2000.

For more information on the residential disaster debris collection guide, call 954-389-4321.

Nicole T. Lesson can be reached at nlesson@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7920.