At least one region of a heap that includes memory allocations is analyzed, using age and occupancy criteria, across a number of local garbage collection cycles using a processor executing a region-based garbage collector. Based upon the analyzed age and occupancy criteria of the at least one region, at least one stable region in age and occupancy is identified among the at least one region of the heap across the number of local garbage collection cycles. Maintenance of a remembered set (RS) of external references into the at least one stable region is temporarily stopped for each identified stable region during at least one additional local garbage collection cycle.