A method for separating polyester materials from contaminants is disclosed suitable for, for example, a polyester recycling system. The method is a dry separation method and includes rapidly spinning a mixture of polyester and contaminants within a cleaning chamber. During the spinning of the mixture, the contaminants can be degraded and pass through a screen at the chamber wall while the polyester materials are not substantially degraded and can remain in the cleaning chamber. Polyester fines can also remain in the cleaning chamber. A cleaning device suitable for use in the process is also disclosed. The device can include a screen of a hardened material that can help degrade the contaminants and a plurality of rotating blades that can spin the mixture within the device and can also help to degrade the contaminant materials.