diff --git a/addon/index.js b/addon/index.js
index 6fc1505..a3b2f87 100644
--- a/addon/index.js
+++ b/addon/index.js
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ export function ref(name, fn) {
         const value = bucketFor(this).get(name);
         return maybeReturnCreated(value, createdValues, fn, this);
       },
+      configurable: true,
     };
   };
 }
@@ -49,6 +50,7 @@ export function globalRef(name, fn) {
         const value = bucketFor(getOwner(this) || resolveGlobalRef()).get(name);
         return maybeReturnCreated(value, createdValues, fn, this);
       },
+      configurable: true,
     };
   };
 }
@@ -64,6 +66,7 @@ export function trackedRef(name, fn) {
         const value = bucketFor(this).getTracked(name);
         return maybeReturnCreated(value, createdValues, fn, this);
       },
+      configurable: true,
     };
   };
 }
@@ -81,6 +84,7 @@ export function trackedGlobalRef(name, fn) {
         ).getTracked(name);
         return maybeReturnCreated(value, createdValues, fn, this);
       },
+      configurable: true,
     };
   };
 }
diff --git a/addon/modifiers/create-ref.js b/addon/modifiers/create-ref.js
index be028f7..92f33cd 100644
--- a/addon/modifiers/create-ref.js
+++ b/addon/modifiers/create-ref.js
@@ -22,9 +22,14 @@ export default class RefModifier extends Modifier {
     setGlobalRef(getOwner(this));
 
     registerDestructor(this, () => {
+      const element = this._element;
       this.cleanMutationObservers();
       this.cleanResizeObservers();
-      getNodeDestructors(this._element).forEach((cb) => cb());
+      getNodeDestructors(element).forEach((cb) => cb());
+      if (element === bucketFor(this._ctx).get(this._key)) {
+        bucketFor(this._ctx).add(this._key, null);
+      }
+      delete this._element;
     });
   }
   // to minimise overhead, user should be specific about
diff --git a/addon/utils/ref.js b/addon/utils/ref.js
index 6087fa1..7b0058e 100644
--- a/addon/utils/ref.js
+++ b/addon/utils/ref.js
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+// @ts-check
+/*eslint no-undef: "warn"*/
+
 import {
   registerDestructor,
   isDestroying,
@@ -5,12 +8,67 @@ import {
 } from '@ember/destroyable';
 import { tracked } from '@glimmer/tracking';
 
+/**
+ * @type {object | null}
+ */
 let lastGlobalRef = null;
+/**
+ * @type {WeakMap<object, ReturnType<typeof createBucket>>}
+ */
 const buckets = new WeakMap();
+/**
+ * @type {WeakMap<HTMLElement, Array<() => void>>}
+ */
 const nodeDestructors = new WeakMap();
 
+const hasWeakRef = typeof WeakRef !== 'undefined';
+
+function fromWeakRefIfSupported(node) {
+  if (hasWeakRef && node instanceof WeakRef) {
+    return node.deref() ?? null;
+  }
+  return node;
+}
+
+/**
+ *
+ * @param {null | undefined | WeeakRef | HTMLElement } node
+ * @returns
+ */
+function toWeakRefIfSupported(node) {
+  if (node === null || node === undefined) {
+    return null;
+  }
+  if (node instanceof WeakRef) {
+    return node;
+  }
+  if (hasWeakRef) {
+    return new WeakRef(node);
+  }
+  return node;
+}
+
 class FieldCell {
-  @tracked value = null;
+  /**
+  /**
+   * @type {null | (WeakRef<HTMLElement> | HTMLElement)}
+   */
+  @tracked
+  _element = null;
+  get value() {
+    if (this._element) {
+      return fromWeakRefIfSupported(this._element);
+    } else {
+      return null;
+    }
+  }
+  set value(element) {
+    if (element) {
+      this._element = toWeakRefIfSupported(element);
+    } else {
+      this._element = null;
+    }
+  }
 }
 
 export function setGlobalRef(value) {
@@ -27,35 +85,62 @@ export function resolveGlobalRef() {
 
 function createBucket() {
   return {
+    /**
+     * @type { Record<string, HTMLElement> }
+     */
     bucket: {},
+    /**
+     * @type { Record<string, FieldCell> }
+     */
     keys: {},
+    /**
+     * @param {string} key
+     */
     createTrackedCell(key) {
       if (!(key in this.keys)) {
         this.keys[key] = new FieldCell();
       }
     },
+    /**
+     * @param {string} name
+     * @returns { HTMLElement | null }
+     */
     get(name) {
       this.createTrackedCell(name);
-      return this.bucket[name] || null;
+      return fromWeakRefIfSupported(this.bucket[name]) || null;
     },
+    /**
+     * @param {string} name
+     */
     dirtyTrackedCell(name) {
       this.createTrackedCell(name);
       const val = this.keys[name].value;
       this.keys[name].value = val;
     },
+    /**
+     * @param {string} name
+     */
     getTracked(name) {
       this.createTrackedCell(name);
       return this.keys[name].value;
     },
+    /**
+     * @param {string} name
+     * @param {HTMLElement} value
+     */
     add(name, value) {
       this.createTrackedCell(name);
       this.keys[name].value = value;
-      this.bucket[name] = value;
+      this.bucket[name] = toWeakRefIfSupported(value);
       if (!(name in this.notificationsFor)) {
         this.notificationsFor[name] = [];
       }
       this.notificationsFor[name].forEach((fn) => fn());
     },
+    /**
+     * @param {string} name
+     * @param {() => void} fn
+     */
     addNotificationFor(name, fn) {
       if (!(name in this.notificationsFor)) {
         this.notificationsFor[name] = [];
@@ -67,19 +152,37 @@ function createBucket() {
         );
       };
     },
+    /**
+     * @type { Record<string, Array<() => void>> }
+     */
     notificationsFor: {},
   };
 }
 
+/**
+ *
+ * @param {HTMLElement} node
+ * @returns {Array<() => void>}
+ */
 export function getNodeDestructors(node) {
   return nodeDestructors.get(node) || [];
 }
+
+/**
+ * @param {HTMLElement} node
+ * @param {() => void} cb
+ */
 export function registerNodeDestructor(node, cb) {
   if (!nodeDestructors.has(node)) {
     nodeDestructors.set(node, []);
   }
-  nodeDestructors.get(node).push(cb);
+  nodeDestructors.get(node)?.push(cb);
 }
+/**
+ *
+ * @param {HTMLElement} node
+ * @param {()=> void} cb
+ */
 export function unregisterNodeDestructor(node, cb) {
   const destructors = nodeDestructors.get(node) || [];
   nodeDestructors.set(
@@ -87,6 +190,11 @@ export function unregisterNodeDestructor(node, cb) {
     destructors.filter((el) => el !== cb)
   );
 }
+/**
+ *
+ * @param {object} rawCtx
+ * @returns {ReturnType<typeof createBucket> | undefined}
+ */
 export function bucketFor(rawCtx) {
   const ctx = rawCtx;
   if (!buckets.has(ctx)) {
@@ -104,7 +212,14 @@ export function bucketFor(rawCtx) {
   }
   return buckets.get(ctx);
 }
+/**
+ *
+ * @param {string} name
+ * @param {object} bucketRef
+ * @param {()=>void} cb
+ * @returns
+ */
 export function watchFor(name, bucketRef, cb) {
   const bucket = bucketFor(bucketRef);
-  return bucket.addNotificationFor(name, cb);
+  return bucket?.addNotificationFor(name, cb);
 }
diff --git a/config/ember-try.js b/config/ember-try.js
index 1fb3d80..cdad7ec 100644
--- a/config/ember-try.js
+++ b/config/ember-try.js
@@ -23,6 +23,9 @@ module.exports = async function () {
             'ember-auto-import': '~2.4.0',
             webpack: '~5.67.0',
           },
+          dependencies: {
+            '@ember/string': '3.1.1',
+          },
         },
       },
       {
@@ -33,6 +36,9 @@ module.exports = async function () {
             'ember-auto-import': '~2.4.0',
             webpack: '~5.67.0',
           },
+          dependencies: {
+            '@ember/string': '3.1.1',
+          },
         },
       },
       {
@@ -43,6 +49,9 @@ module.exports = async function () {
             'ember-auto-import': '~2.4.0',
             webpack: '~5.67.0',
           },
+          dependencies: {
+            '@ember/string': '3.1.1',
+          },
         },
       },
       {
diff --git a/tests/dummy/app/components/ref-gc.hbs b/tests/dummy/app/components/ref-gc.hbs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8d71c54
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/dummy/app/components/ref-gc.hbs
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+<div>
+  <button type="button" class="add-items p-2 ml-2" {{on "click" this.addItems}}>Add 100 items</button>
+  <button type="button" class="clear p-2 ml-2" {{on "click" this.clear}}>Clear</button>
+</div>
+
+{{#each this.items as |item|}}
+  <div {{create-ref (concat "item-" item) bucket=this}}>
+    {{item}}
+  </div>
+{{/each}}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/dummy/app/components/ref-gc.js b/tests/dummy/app/components/ref-gc.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e3c5b41
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/dummy/app/components/ref-gc.js
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+import Component from '@glimmer/component';
+import { tracked } from '@glimmer/tracking';
+import { action } from '@ember/object';
+import { ref } from 'ember-ref-bucket';
+
+export default class Test extends Component {
+  constructor() {
+    super(...arguments);
+    this.args.sendContext(this);
+  }
+  /**
+   * @type {number[]}
+   */
+  @tracked items = [];
+
+  @action addItems() {
+    this.items = [
+      ...this.items,
+      ...Array(100)
+        .fill(0)
+        .map((_, i) => i),
+    ];
+    this.items.forEach((item) => {
+      Object.defineProperty(this, `item-${item}`, ref(`item-${item}`)(this));
+    });
+  }
+
+  @action clear() {
+    // this.items.forEach((item) => {
+    //   delete this[`item-${item}`];
+    // });
+    this.items = [];
+  }
+}
diff --git a/tests/integration/components/ref-gc-test.js b/tests/integration/components/ref-gc-test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..446687b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/integration/components/ref-gc-test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+import { module, test } from 'qunit';
+import { setupRenderingTest } from 'ember-qunit';
+import { render, click } from '@ember/test-helpers';
+import { hbs } from 'ember-cli-htmlbars';
+
+module('Integration | Component | ref-gc', function (hooks) {
+  setupRenderingTest(hooks);
+
+  // TODO: Replace this with your real tests.
+  test('it renders', async function (assert) {
+    let context = null;
+    this.sendContext = (ctx) => {
+      context = ctx;
+    };
+
+    await render(hbs`<RefGc @sendContext={{this.sendContext}} />`);
+
+    await click('.add-items');
+
+    assert.strictEqual(typeof context[`item-${0}`], 'object');
+    assert.strictEqual(context[`item-${0}`].tagName, 'DIV');
+
+    await click('.clear');
+
+    assert.strictEqual(typeof context[`item-${0}`], 'object');
+    assert.strictEqual(String(context[`item-${0}`]), 'null');
+
+    await click('.add-items');
+    assert.strictEqual(context[`item-${0}`].tagName, 'DIV');
+    await click('.clear');
+    assert.strictEqual(String(context[`item-${0}`]), 'null');
+  });
+});