diff --git a/src/gc-common.c b/src/gc-common.c
index c751b54f059f5..3d578b81578b1 100644
--- a/src/gc-common.c
+++ b/src/gc-common.c
@@ -557,17 +557,8 @@ size_t jl_genericmemory_nbytes(jl_genericmemory_t *m) JL_NOTSAFEPOINT
 // tracking Memorys with malloc'd storage
 void jl_gc_track_malloced_genericmemory(jl_ptls_t ptls, jl_genericmemory_t *m, int isaligned){
     // This is **NOT** a GC safe point.
-    mallocmemory_t *ma;
-    if (ptls->gc_tls_common.heap.mafreelist == NULL) {
-        ma = (mallocmemory_t*)malloc_s(sizeof(mallocmemory_t));
-    }
-    else {
-        ma = ptls->gc_tls_common.heap.mafreelist;
-        ptls->gc_tls_common.heap.mafreelist = ma->next;
-    }
-    ma->a = (jl_genericmemory_t*)((uintptr_t)m | !!isaligned);
-    ma->next = ptls->gc_tls_common.heap.mallocarrays;
-    ptls->gc_tls_common.heap.mallocarrays = ma;
+    void *a = (void*)((uintptr_t)m | !!isaligned);
+    small_arraylist_push(&ptls->gc_tls_common.heap.mallocarrays, a);
 }
 
 // =========================================================================== //
diff --git a/src/gc-common.h b/src/gc-common.h
index 3007151009f7d..1745df17950f9 100644
--- a/src/gc-common.h
+++ b/src/gc-common.h
@@ -61,12 +61,6 @@ extern jl_gc_callback_list_t *gc_cblist_notify_gc_pressure;
 // malloc wrappers, aligned allocation
 // =========================================================================== //
 
-// data structure for tracking malloc'd genericmemory.
-typedef struct _mallocmemory_t {
-    jl_genericmemory_t *a; // lowest bit is tagged if this is aligned memory
-    struct _mallocmemory_t *next;
-} mallocmemory_t;
-
 #if defined(_OS_WINDOWS_)
 STATIC_INLINE void *jl_malloc_aligned(size_t sz, size_t align)
 {
diff --git a/src/gc-debug.c b/src/gc-debug.c
index 7c479484cde45..6e51064035b7b 100644
--- a/src/gc-debug.c
+++ b/src/gc-debug.c
@@ -1025,12 +1025,11 @@ void gc_stats_big_obj(void)
             v = v->next;
         }
 
-        mallocmemory_t *ma = ptls2->gc_tls.heap.mallocarrays;
-        while (ma != NULL) {
-            uint8_t bits =jl_astaggedvalue(ma->a)->bits.gc;
+        void **lst = ptls2->gc_tls.heap.mallocarrays.items;
+        for (size_t i = 0, l = ptls2->gc_tls.heap.mallocarrays.len; i < l; i++) {
+            jl_genericmemory_t *m = (jl_genericmemory_t*)((uintptr_t)lst[i] & ~(uintptr_t)1);
+            uint8_t bits = jl_astaggedvalue(m)->bits.gc;
             if (gc_marked(bits)) {
-                jl_genericmemory_t *m = (jl_genericmemory_t*)ma->a;
-                m = (jl_genericmemory_t*)((uintptr_t)m & ~(uintptr_t)1);
                 size_t sz = jl_genericmemory_nbytes(m);
                 if (gc_old(bits)) {
                     assert(bits == GC_OLD_MARKED);
@@ -1042,7 +1041,6 @@ void gc_stats_big_obj(void)
                     stat.nbytes_used += sz;
                 }
             }
-            ma = ma->next;
         }
     }
     jl_safe_printf("%lld kB (%lld%% old) in %lld large objects (%lld%% old)\n",
diff --git a/src/gc-stock.c b/src/gc-stock.c
index 61a013f347975..fe10a59b89623 100644
--- a/src/gc-stock.c
+++ b/src/gc-stock.c
@@ -629,10 +629,9 @@ void jl_gc_reset_alloc_count(void) JL_NOTSAFEPOINT
     reset_thread_gc_counts();
 }
 
-static void jl_gc_free_memory(jl_value_t *v, int isaligned) JL_NOTSAFEPOINT
+static void jl_gc_free_memory(jl_genericmemory_t *m, int isaligned) JL_NOTSAFEPOINT
 {
-    assert(jl_is_genericmemory(v));
-    jl_genericmemory_t *m = (jl_genericmemory_t*)v;
+    assert(jl_is_genericmemory(m));
     assert(jl_genericmemory_how(m) == 1 || jl_genericmemory_how(m) == 2);
     char *d = (char*)m->ptr;
     size_t freed_bytes = memory_block_usable_size(d, isaligned);
@@ -654,25 +653,23 @@ static void sweep_malloced_memory(void) JL_NOTSAFEPOINT
     for (int t_i = 0; t_i < gc_n_threads; t_i++) {
         jl_ptls_t ptls2 = gc_all_tls_states[t_i];
         if (ptls2 != NULL) {
-            mallocmemory_t *ma = ptls2->gc_tls_common.heap.mallocarrays;
-            mallocmemory_t **pma = &ptls2->gc_tls_common.heap.mallocarrays;
-            while (ma != NULL) {
-                mallocmemory_t *nxt = ma->next;
-                jl_value_t *a = (jl_value_t*)((uintptr_t)ma->a & ~1);
-                int bits = jl_astaggedvalue(a)->bits.gc;
-                if (gc_marked(bits)) {
-                    pma = &ma->next;
+            size_t n = 0;
+            size_t l = ptls2->gc_tls_common.heap.mallocarrays.len;
+            void **lst = ptls2->gc_tls_common.heap.mallocarrays.items;
+            // filter without preserving order
+            while (n < l) {
+                jl_genericmemory_t *m = (jl_genericmemory_t*)((uintptr_t)lst[n] & ~1);
+                if (gc_marked(jl_astaggedvalue(m)->bits.gc)) {
+                    n++;
                 }
                 else {
-                    *pma = nxt;
-                    int isaligned = (uintptr_t)ma->a & 1;
-                    jl_gc_free_memory(a, isaligned);
-                    ma->next = ptls2->gc_tls_common.heap.mafreelist;
-                    ptls2->gc_tls_common.heap.mafreelist = ma;
+                    int isaligned = (uintptr_t)lst[n] & 1;
+                    jl_gc_free_memory(m, isaligned);
+                    l--;
+                    lst[n] = lst[l];
                 }
-                gc_time_count_mallocd_memory(bits);
-                ma = nxt;
             }
+            ptls2->gc_tls_common.heap.mallocarrays.len = l;
         }
     }
     gc_time_mallocd_memory_end();
@@ -3439,8 +3436,7 @@ void jl_init_thread_heap(jl_ptls_t ptls)
     small_arraylist_new(&common_heap->live_tasks, 0);
     for (int i = 0; i < JL_N_STACK_POOLS; i++)
         small_arraylist_new(&common_heap->free_stacks[i], 0);
-    common_heap->mallocarrays = NULL;
-    common_heap->mafreelist = NULL;
+    small_arraylist_new(&common_heap->mallocarrays, 0);
     heap->young_generation_of_bigvals = (bigval_t*)calloc_s(sizeof(bigval_t)); // sentinel
     assert(gc_bigval_sentinel_tag != 0); // make sure the sentinel is initialized
     heap->young_generation_of_bigvals->header = gc_bigval_sentinel_tag;
diff --git a/src/gc-tls-common.h b/src/gc-tls-common.h
index ba36f5c1c238e..473668d648294 100644
--- a/src/gc-tls-common.h
+++ b/src/gc-tls-common.h
@@ -21,9 +21,8 @@ typedef struct {
     // that are holding onto a stack from the pool
     small_arraylist_t live_tasks;
 
-    // variables for tracking malloc'd arrays
-    struct _mallocmemory_t *mallocarrays;
-    struct _mallocmemory_t *mafreelist;
+    // variable for tracking malloc'd arrays
+    small_arraylist_t mallocarrays;
 
 #define JL_N_STACK_POOLS 16
     small_arraylist_t free_stacks[JL_N_STACK_POOLS];
diff --git a/src/mtarraylist.c b/src/mtarraylist.c
index 7af265a86ab63..0a0f3fe867e39 100644
--- a/src/mtarraylist.c
+++ b/src/mtarraylist.c
@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ extern "C" {
 // but there can be any number of observers
 
 typedef struct {
-    _Atomic(uint32_t) len;
-    uint32_t max;
+    _Atomic(size_t) len;
+    size_t max;
     _Atomic(_Atomic(void*)*) items;
     _Atomic(void*) _space[SMALL_AL_N_INLINE];
 } small_mtarraylist_t;
diff --git a/src/support/arraylist.h b/src/support/arraylist.h
index a83bd2808756c..8d4ef61ba251c 100644
--- a/src/support/arraylist.h
+++ b/src/support/arraylist.h
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 #define AL_N_INLINE 29
 
-#define SMALL_AL_N_INLINE 6
+#define SMALL_AL_N_INLINE 5
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 extern "C" {
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ extern "C" {
 
 #include "analyzer_annotations.h"
 
-typedef struct {
+typedef struct { // 32 words
     size_t len;
     size_t max;
     void **items;
@@ -27,9 +27,9 @@ JL_DLLEXPORT void arraylist_push(arraylist_t *a, void *elt) JL_NOTSAFEPOINT;
 JL_DLLEXPORT void *arraylist_pop(arraylist_t *a) JL_NOTSAFEPOINT;
 JL_DLLEXPORT void arraylist_grow(arraylist_t *a, size_t n) JL_NOTSAFEPOINT;
 
-typedef struct {
-    uint32_t len;
-    uint32_t max;
+typedef struct { // 8 words
+    size_t len;
+    size_t max;
     void **items;
     void *_space[SMALL_AL_N_INLINE];
 } small_arraylist_t;