diff --git a/engine/references.go b/engine/references.go
index 78bc944..1549a3d 100644
--- a/engine/references.go
+++ b/engine/references.go
@@ -2,32 +2,34 @@ package engine
 
 import (
 	"math/rand"
-	"unsafe"
 )
 
 // ExternalReferences manages external references to be used by the Interpreter
 // to store references that can be passed to guest modules.
 type ExternalReferences struct {
-	refs map[int32]uintptr
+	refs map[int32]any
 }
 
 // NewReferences creates a new ExternalReferences store.
 func NewReferences() ExternalReferences {
 	return ExternalReferences{
-		refs: make(map[int32]uintptr),
+		refs: make(map[int32]any),
 	}
 }
 
 // Add adds a reference to the ExternalReferences store and returns the new reference id.
-func (r *ExternalReferences) Add(thing unsafe.Pointer) int32 {
+func (r *ExternalReferences) Add(thing any) int32 {
 	id := r.newReferenceId()
-	r.refs[id] = uintptr(thing)
+	r.refs[id] = thing
 	return id
 }
 
 // Get returns the reference for the given id.
-func (r *ExternalReferences) Get(id int32) uintptr {
-	return r.refs[id]
+func (r *ExternalReferences) Get(id int32) any {
+	if val, ok := r.refs[id]; ok {
+		return val
+	}
+	return nil
 }
 
 // Remove removes the reference for the given id.
@@ -35,6 +37,11 @@ func (r *ExternalReferences) Remove(id int32) {
 	delete(r.refs, id)
 }
 
+// Remove removes the reference for the given id.
+func (r *ExternalReferences) Clear() {
+	clear(r.refs)
+}
+
 // generates a random reference id that is not already in use.
 func (r *ExternalReferences) newReferenceId() int32 {
 	for {
diff --git a/engine/references_test.go b/engine/references_test.go
index c884bbd..de5815c 100644
--- a/engine/references_test.go
+++ b/engine/references_test.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package engine
 
 import (
 	"testing"
-	"unsafe"
 )
 
 type testingType struct {
@@ -13,18 +12,18 @@ type testingType struct {
 func TestExternalReferences(t *testing.T) {
 	refs := NewReferences()
 	var id1, id2 int32
-	thing1 := &testingType{
+	thing1 := testingType{
 		val1: "hello",
 		val2: "world",
 	}
-	thing2 := &testingType{
+	thing2 := testingType{
 		val1: "hola",
 		val2: "mundo",
 	}
 
 	t.Run("add references", func(t *testing.T) {
-		id1 = refs.Add(unsafe.Pointer(&thing1))
-		id2 = refs.Add(unsafe.Pointer(&thing2))
+		id1 = refs.Add(&thing1)
+		id2 = refs.Add(&thing2)
 
 		if id1 == id2 {
 			t.Errorf("id1 and id2 should not be the same")
@@ -32,11 +31,11 @@ func TestExternalReferences(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 
 	t.Run("get references", func(t *testing.T) {
-		if refs.Get(id1) != uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(&thing1)) {
-			t.Errorf("refs.Get(id1) failed")
+		if refs.Get(id1).(*testingType).val1 != thing1.val1 {
+			t.Errorf("refs.Get(id1) %d failed %v %v", id1, refs.Get(id1).(*testingType).val1, thing1.val1)
 		}
-		if refs.Get(id2) != uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(&thing2)) {
-			t.Errorf("refs.Get(id2) failed")
+		if refs.Get(id2).(*testingType).val2 != thing2.val2 {
+			t.Errorf("refs.Get(id2) %d failed %v %v", id2, refs.Get(id2).(*testingType).val2, thing1.val2)
 		}
 	})
 
@@ -44,10 +43,10 @@ func TestExternalReferences(t *testing.T) {
 		refs.Remove(id1)
 		refs.Remove(id2)
 
-		if refs.Get(id1) != uintptr(0) {
+		if refs.Get(id1) != nil {
 			t.Errorf("refs.Get(id1) failed")
 		}
-		if refs.Get(id2) != uintptr(0) {
+		if refs.Get(id2) != nil {
 			t.Errorf("refs.Get(id2) failed")
 		}
 	})
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 5ab870a..5c87005 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ go 1.22.0
 replace github.com/tetratelabs/wazero => github.com/orsinium-forks/wazero v0.0.0-20240217173836-b12c024bcbe4
 
 require (
-	github.com/hybridgroup/wasman v0.0.0-20240229144219-f3288962ab34
+	github.com/hybridgroup/wasman v0.0.0-20240303155228-bc96a1c9a2cc
 	github.com/tetratelabs/wazero v1.6.0
 	github.com/urfave/cli/v2 v2.27.1
 	tinygo.org/x/tinyfs v0.3.1-0.20231212053859-32ae3f6bbad9
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index ada22ad..fa20a96 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
 github.com/cpuguy83/go-md2man/v2 v2.0.2 h1:p1EgwI/C7NhT0JmVkwCD2ZBK8j4aeHQX2pMHHBfMQ6w=
 github.com/cpuguy83/go-md2man/v2 v2.0.2/go.mod h1:tgQtvFlXSQOSOSIRvRPT7W67SCa46tRHOmNcaadrF8o=
-github.com/hybridgroup/wasman v0.0.0-20240228124029-ecd9fd3f900a h1:6q1Gn1MR643sBn4PnvgX40jCCXmAyjuNXFfk8wirpds=
-github.com/hybridgroup/wasman v0.0.0-20240228124029-ecd9fd3f900a/go.mod h1:rLavUo4P0xVcDeDnViYEpPQPoACmp1py9UTLPY/R7Lg=
-github.com/hybridgroup/wasman v0.0.0-20240229144219-f3288962ab34 h1:XGX7Qt+ylSTF7VrwfXePwXAy2cK2iB6At+Ni/PcaNok=
-github.com/hybridgroup/wasman v0.0.0-20240229144219-f3288962ab34/go.mod h1:rLavUo4P0xVcDeDnViYEpPQPoACmp1py9UTLPY/R7Lg=
+github.com/hybridgroup/wasman v0.0.0-20240303155228-bc96a1c9a2cc h1:Ld9ng9AdthISNNd5JYTK2HGx/shBtAWNZdz9Gu/Z25k=
+github.com/hybridgroup/wasman v0.0.0-20240303155228-bc96a1c9a2cc/go.mod h1:rLavUo4P0xVcDeDnViYEpPQPoACmp1py9UTLPY/R7Lg=
 github.com/orsinium-forks/wazero v0.0.0-20240217173836-b12c024bcbe4 h1:MUh9e2izck9aROiwDsDm24UU7kHieYM2911U1t+NASs=
 github.com/orsinium-forks/wazero v0.0.0-20240217173836-b12c024bcbe4/go.mod h1:0U0G41+ochRKoPKCJlh0jMg1CHkyfK8kDqiirMmKY8A=
 github.com/russross/blackfriday/v2 v2.1.0 h1:JIOH55/0cWyOuilr9/qlrm0BSXldqnqwMsf35Ld67mk=
diff --git a/interp/tester/interp.go b/interp/tester/interp.go
index ab70a53..090592f 100644
--- a/interp/tester/interp.go
+++ b/interp/tester/interp.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package tester
 
 import (
 	"testing"
-	"unsafe"
 
 	"github.com/hybridgroup/mechanoid/engine"
 )
@@ -71,18 +70,18 @@ func ReferencesTest(t *testing.T, i engine.Interpreter) {
 	}
 
 	var id1, id2 int32
-	thing1 := &testingType{
+	thing1 := testingType{
 		val1: "hello",
 		val2: "world",
 	}
-	thing2 := &testingType{
+	thing2 := testingType{
 		val1: "hola",
 		val2: "mundo",
 	}
 
 	t.Run("add references", func(t *testing.T) {
-		id1 = i.References().Add(unsafe.Pointer(&thing1))
-		id2 = i.References().Add(unsafe.Pointer(&thing2))
+		id1 = i.References().Add(&thing1)
+		id2 = i.References().Add(&thing2)
 
 		if id1 == id2 {
 			t.Errorf("id1 and id2 should not be the same")
@@ -90,11 +89,11 @@ func ReferencesTest(t *testing.T, i engine.Interpreter) {
 	})
 
 	t.Run("get references", func(t *testing.T) {
-		if i.References().Get(id1) != uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(&thing1)) {
-			t.Errorf("refs.Get(id1) failed")
+		if i.References().Get(id1).(*testingType).val1 != thing1.val1 {
+			t.Errorf("refs.Get(id1) %d failed %v %v", id1, i.References().Get(id1).(*testingType).val1, thing1.val1)
 		}
-		if i.References().Get(id2) != uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(&thing2)) {
-			t.Errorf("refs.Get(id2) failed")
+		if i.References().Get(id2).(*testingType).val2 != thing2.val2 {
+			t.Errorf("refs.Get(id2) %d failed %v %v", id2, i.References().Get(id2).(*testingType).val2, thing1.val2)
 		}
 	})
 
@@ -102,10 +101,10 @@ func ReferencesTest(t *testing.T, i engine.Interpreter) {
 		i.References().Remove(id1)
 		i.References().Remove(id2)
 
-		if i.References().Get(id1) != uintptr(0) {
+		if i.References().Get(id1) != nil {
 			t.Errorf("refs.Get(id1) failed")
 		}
-		if i.References().Get(id2) != uintptr(0) {
+		if i.References().Get(id2) != nil {
 			t.Errorf("refs.Get(id2) failed")
 		}
 	})
diff --git a/interp/wasman/interp.go b/interp/wasman/interp.go
index 1186f09..728060a 100644
--- a/interp/wasman/interp.go
+++ b/interp/wasman/interp.go
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 package wasman
 
 import (
+	"runtime"
+
 	"github.com/hybridgroup/mechanoid"
 	"github.com/hybridgroup/mechanoid/engine"
 
@@ -57,6 +59,11 @@ func (i *Interpreter) Load(code []byte) error {
 }
 
 func (i *Interpreter) Run() (engine.Instance, error) {
+	ms := runtime.MemStats{}
+
+	runtime.ReadMemStats(&ms)
+	println("Heap start Run Used: ", ms.HeapInuse, " Free: ", ms.HeapIdle, " Meta: ", ms.GCSys)
+
 	var err error
 	i.instance, err = i.linker.Instantiate(i.module)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -75,7 +82,22 @@ func (i *Interpreter) Run() (engine.Instance, error) {
 }
 
 func (i *Interpreter) Halt() error {
+	ms := runtime.MemStats{}
+
+	runtime.ReadMemStats(&ms)
+	println("Heap start Halt Used: ", ms.HeapInuse, " Free: ", ms.HeapIdle, " Meta: ", ms.GCSys)
+
+	// clean up extern refs
+	i.references.Clear()
 	i.instance = nil
+	i.module = nil
+
+	// force a garbage collection to free memory
+	runtime.GC()
+
+	runtime.ReadMemStats(&ms)
+	println("Heap start Halt after gc: ", ms.HeapInuse, " Free: ", ms.HeapIdle, " Meta: ", ms.GCSys)
+
 	return nil
 }