diff --git a/package/android/src/main/cpp/AndroidManagedBuffer.h b/package/android/src/main/cpp/AndroidManagedBuffer.h
index b11d231b..2fb80314 100644
--- a/package/android/src/main/cpp/AndroidManagedBuffer.h
+++ b/package/android/src/main/cpp/AndroidManagedBuffer.h
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ class AndroidManagedBuffer : public ManagedBuffer {
   }
 
   ~AndroidManagedBuffer() override {
-    jni::ThreadScope::WithClassLoader([&] { _buffer.reset(); });
+    releaseBuffer();
   }
 
   const uint8_t* getData() const override {
@@ -30,6 +30,14 @@ class AndroidManagedBuffer : public ManagedBuffer {
     return _buffer->getDirectSize();
   }
 
+  void release() override {
+    releaseBuffer();
+  }
+
+  void releaseBuffer() {
+    jni::ThreadScope::WithClassLoader([&] { _buffer.reset(); });
+  }
+
 private:
   jni::global_ref<jni::JByteBuffer> _buffer;
 };
diff --git a/package/cpp/FilamentBuffer.h b/package/cpp/FilamentBuffer.h
index b0732eb3..fef166cb 100644
--- a/package/cpp/FilamentBuffer.h
+++ b/package/cpp/FilamentBuffer.h
@@ -9,12 +9,19 @@ class FilamentBuffer : public HybridObject {
 public:
   explicit FilamentBuffer(const std::shared_ptr<ManagedBuffer>& buffer) : HybridObject("FilamentBuffer"), _buffer(buffer) {}
 
-  void loadHybridMethods() override {}
+  void loadHybridMethods() override {
+    registerHybridMethod("release", &FilamentBuffer::release, this);
+  }
 
   const std::shared_ptr<ManagedBuffer>& getBuffer() {
     return _buffer;
   }
 
+  void release() {
+    Logger::log("FilamentBuffer", "Manually releasing buffer of size %fmb", static_cast<float>(_buffer->getSize()) / 1024 / 1024);
+    _buffer->release();
+  }
+
 private:
   std::shared_ptr<ManagedBuffer> _buffer;
 };
diff --git a/package/cpp/ManagedBuffer.h b/package/cpp/ManagedBuffer.h
index dac77913..c243efd1 100644
--- a/package/cpp/ManagedBuffer.h
+++ b/package/cpp/ManagedBuffer.h
@@ -14,6 +14,11 @@ class ManagedBuffer {
   virtual ~ManagedBuffer() {}
   virtual const uint8_t* getData() const = 0;
   virtual size_t getSize() const = 0;
+  // Note: in general we don't want to manually release anything.
+  // However, the reference to the Buffers is managed on the JS side and Hades seldomly
+  // GCs these buffers as it can't see their true size. Thus we need a mechanism to
+  // manually release the memory of the buffers once we have loaded an asset.
+  virtual void release() {}
 };
 
 } // namespace margelo
diff --git a/package/example/ios/Podfile.lock b/package/example/ios/Podfile.lock
index f3e59c54..e580abc8 100644
--- a/package/example/ios/Podfile.lock
+++ b/package/example/ios/Podfile.lock
@@ -886,42 +886,42 @@ PODS:
   - React-Mapbuffer (0.73.4):
     - glog
     - React-debug
-  - react-native-filament (0.19.2):
+  - react-native-filament (0.22.0):
     - glog
     - RCT-Folly (= 2022.05.16.00)
     - React-Core
-    - react-native-filament/camutils (= 0.19.2)
-    - react-native-filament/filamat (= 0.19.2)
-    - react-native-filament/filament (= 0.19.2)
-    - react-native-filament/gltfio_core (= 0.19.2)
-    - react-native-filament/image (= 0.19.2)
-    - react-native-filament/ktxreader (= 0.19.2)
-    - react-native-filament/math (= 0.19.2)
-    - react-native-filament/tsl (= 0.19.2)
-    - react-native-filament/uberz (= 0.19.2)
-    - react-native-filament/utils (= 0.19.2)
+    - react-native-filament/camutils (= 0.22.0)
+    - react-native-filament/filamat (= 0.22.0)
+    - react-native-filament/filament (= 0.22.0)
+    - react-native-filament/gltfio_core (= 0.22.0)
+    - react-native-filament/image (= 0.22.0)
+    - react-native-filament/ktxreader (= 0.22.0)
+    - react-native-filament/math (= 0.22.0)
+    - react-native-filament/tsl (= 0.22.0)
+    - react-native-filament/uberz (= 0.22.0)
+    - react-native-filament/utils (= 0.22.0)
     - react-native-worklets-core
-  - react-native-filament/camutils (0.19.2):
+  - react-native-filament/camutils (0.22.0):
     - glog
     - RCT-Folly (= 2022.05.16.00)
     - React-Core
     - react-native-filament/math
     - react-native-worklets-core
-  - react-native-filament/filamat (0.19.2):
+  - react-native-filament/filamat (0.22.0):
     - glog
     - RCT-Folly (= 2022.05.16.00)
     - React-Core
     - react-native-filament/math
     - react-native-filament/utils
     - react-native-worklets-core
-  - react-native-filament/filament (0.19.2):
+  - react-native-filament/filament (0.22.0):
     - glog
     - RCT-Folly (= 2022.05.16.00)
     - React-Core
     - react-native-filament/math
     - react-native-filament/utils
     - react-native-worklets-core
-  - react-native-filament/gltfio_core (0.19.2):
+  - react-native-filament/gltfio_core (0.22.0):
     - glog
     - RCT-Folly (= 2022.05.16.00)
     - React-Core
@@ -929,30 +929,30 @@ PODS:
     - react-native-filament/ktxreader
     - react-native-filament/uberz
     - react-native-worklets-core
-  - react-native-filament/image (0.19.2):
+  - react-native-filament/image (0.22.0):
     - glog
     - RCT-Folly (= 2022.05.16.00)
     - React-Core
     - react-native-filament/filament
     - react-native-worklets-core
-  - react-native-filament/ktxreader (0.19.2):
+  - react-native-filament/ktxreader (0.22.0):
     - glog
     - RCT-Folly (= 2022.05.16.00)
     - React-Core
     - react-native-filament/filament
     - react-native-filament/image
     - react-native-worklets-core
-  - react-native-filament/math (0.19.2):
+  - react-native-filament/math (0.22.0):
     - glog
     - RCT-Folly (= 2022.05.16.00)
     - React-Core
     - react-native-worklets-core
-  - react-native-filament/tsl (0.19.2):
+  - react-native-filament/tsl (0.22.0):
     - glog
     - RCT-Folly (= 2022.05.16.00)
     - React-Core
     - react-native-worklets-core
-  - react-native-filament/uberz (0.19.2):
+  - react-native-filament/uberz (0.22.0):
     - glog
     - RCT-Folly (= 2022.05.16.00)
     - React-Core
@@ -960,7 +960,7 @@ PODS:
     - react-native-filament/tsl
     - react-native-filament/utils
     - react-native-worklets-core
-  - react-native-filament/utils (0.19.2):
+  - react-native-filament/utils (0.22.0):
     - glog
     - RCT-Folly (= 2022.05.16.00)
     - React-Core
@@ -1346,7 +1346,7 @@ SPEC CHECKSUMS:
   React-jsinspector: 9ac353eccf6ab54d1e0a33862ba91221d1e88460
   React-logger: 0a57b68dd2aec7ff738195f081f0520724b35dab
   React-Mapbuffer: 63913773ed7f96b814a2521e13e6d010282096ad
-  react-native-filament: 237b6f9f7afecfecf3fb0d3887b12db7c26a0f87
+  react-native-filament: a5fa3cbbe340d29b8efca8d269b78245fbc81503
   react-native-safe-area-context: b97eb6f9e3b7f437806c2ce5983f479f8eb5de4b
   react-native-worklets-core: 81033d42d22985176f9d1ef97378df02c092232e
   React-nativeconfig: d7af5bae6da70fa15ce44f045621cf99ed24087c
diff --git a/package/ios/src/AppleManagedBuffer.h b/package/ios/src/AppleManagedBuffer.h
index a522c3ef..fd6229e5 100644
--- a/package/ios/src/AppleManagedBuffer.h
+++ b/package/ios/src/AppleManagedBuffer.h
@@ -24,6 +24,11 @@ class AppleManagedBuffer : public ManagedBuffer {
     return _data.length;
   }
 
+  // Manual release mechanism
+  void release() override {
+    _data = nil;
+  }
+
 private:
   NSData* _data;
 };
diff --git a/package/src/hooks/useModel.ts b/package/src/hooks/useModel.ts
index 23a1dab2..afd7a1fd 100644
--- a/package/src/hooks/useModel.ts
+++ b/package/src/hooks/useModel.ts
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ export function useModel({ path, engine, shouldReleaseSourceData, autoAddToScene
         loadedAsset = engine.loadInstancedAsset(assetBuffer, instanceCount)
       }
 
+      assetBuffer.release()
       return loadedAsset
     }, context)().then(setAsset)
   }, [assetBuffer, context, engine, instanceCount])
diff --git a/package/src/native/FilamentBuffer.ts b/package/src/native/FilamentBuffer.ts
index 15ce2e7c..9bac148b 100644
--- a/package/src/native/FilamentBuffer.ts
+++ b/package/src/native/FilamentBuffer.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
-export interface FilamentBuffer {}
+export interface FilamentBuffer {
+  /**
+   * Internal method to release memory early when the buffer is no longer needed.
+   */
+  release(): void
+}
 
 export type Asset = FilamentBuffer