diff --git a/examples/webgl-points-layer.js b/examples/webgl-points-layer.js
index ae04790a71..3d3c980a41 100644
--- a/examples/webgl-points-layer.js
+++ b/examples/webgl-points-layer.js
@@ -124,6 +124,7 @@ function refreshLayer(newStyle) {
 
   if (previousLayer) {
     map.removeLayer(previousLayer);
+    previousLayer.dispose();
   }
   literalStyle = newStyle;
 }
diff --git a/src/ol/layer/Base.js b/src/ol/layer/Base.js
index 7155040289..21a44fdc36 100644
--- a/src/ol/layer/Base.js
+++ b/src/ol/layer/Base.js
@@ -320,6 +320,17 @@ class BaseLayer extends BaseObject {
   setZIndex(zindex) {
     this.set(LayerProperty.Z_INDEX, zindex);
   }
+
+  /**
+   * @inheritDoc
+   */
+  disposeInternal() {
+    if (this.state_) {
+      this.state_.layer = null;
+      this.state_ = null;
+    }
+    super.disposeInternal();
+  }
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/ol/layer/Layer.js b/src/ol/layer/Layer.js
index 0291785b19..bef87a803e 100644
--- a/src/ol/layer/Layer.js
+++ b/src/ol/layer/Layer.js
@@ -287,6 +287,13 @@ class Layer extends BaseLayer {
     return null;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * @inheritDoc
+   */
+  disposeInternal() {
+    this.setSource(null);
+    super.disposeInternal();
+  }
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/ol/layer/WebGLPoints.js b/src/ol/layer/WebGLPoints.js
index c3bdb80b10..a49ff9e21e 100644
--- a/src/ol/layer/WebGLPoints.js
+++ b/src/ol/layer/WebGLPoints.js
@@ -57,6 +57,9 @@ import Layer from './Layer.js';
  * }
  * ```
  *
+ * **Important: a `WebGLPoints` layer must be manually disposed when removed, otherwise the underlying WebGL context
+ * will not be garbage collected.**
+ *
  * Note that any property set in the options is set as a {@link module:ol/Object~BaseObject}
  * property on the layer object; for example, setting `title: 'My Title'` in the
  * options means that `title` is observable, and has get/set accessors.
@@ -100,6 +103,15 @@ class WebGLPointsLayer extends Layer {
       attributes: this.parseResult_.attributes
     });
   }
+
+  /**
+   *
+   * @inheritDoc
+   */
+  disposeInternal() {
+    this.renderer_.dispose();
+    super.disposeInternal();
+  }
 }
 
 export default WebGLPointsLayer;
diff --git a/src/ol/renderer/webgl/Layer.js b/src/ol/renderer/webgl/Layer.js
index f7f1848268..b3f6072fec 100644
--- a/src/ol/renderer/webgl/Layer.js
+++ b/src/ol/renderer/webgl/Layer.js
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ class WebGLLayerRenderer extends LayerRenderer {
    * @inheritDoc
    */
   disposeInternal() {
-    this.helper.disposeInternal();
+    this.helper.dispose();
     super.disposeInternal();
   }
 
diff --git a/src/ol/renderer/webgl/PointsLayer.js b/src/ol/renderer/webgl/PointsLayer.js
index 7e8ddb7874..f0dbdb7452 100644
--- a/src/ol/renderer/webgl/PointsLayer.js
+++ b/src/ol/renderer/webgl/PointsLayer.js
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ import {getUid} from '../../util.js';
 import WebGLRenderTarget from '../../webgl/RenderTarget.js';
 import {assert} from '../../asserts.js';
 import BaseVector from '../../layer/BaseVector.js';
-import {listen} from '../../events.js';
+import {listen, unlistenByKey} from '../../events.js';
 import VectorEventType from '../../source/VectorEventType.js';
 
 /**
@@ -288,9 +288,11 @@ class WebGLPointsLayerRenderer extends WebGLLayerRenderer {
     this.featureCache_ = {};
 
     const source = this.getLayer().getSource();
-    listen(source, VectorEventType.ADDFEATURE, this.handleSourceFeatureChanged_, this);
-    listen(source, VectorEventType.CHANGEFEATURE, this.handleSourceFeatureChanged_, this);
-    listen(source, VectorEventType.REMOVEFEATURE, this.handleSourceFeatureDelete_, this);
+    this.sourceListenKeys_ = [
+      listen(source, VectorEventType.ADDFEATURE, this.handleSourceFeatureChanged_, this),
+      listen(source, VectorEventType.CHANGEFEATURE, this.handleSourceFeatureChanged_, this),
+      listen(source, VectorEventType.REMOVEFEATURE, this.handleSourceFeatureDelete_, this)
+    ];
     source.getFeatures().forEach(function(feature) {
       const uid = getUid(feature);
       this.featureCache_[uid] = {
@@ -548,6 +550,11 @@ class WebGLPointsLayerRenderer extends WebGLLayerRenderer {
    */
   disposeInternal() {
     this.worker_.terminate();
+    this.layer_ = null;
+    this.sourceListenKeys_.forEach(function(key) {
+      unlistenByKey(key);
+    });
+    this.sourceListenKeys_ = null;
     super.disposeInternal();
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/ol/webgl/Helper.js b/src/ol/webgl/Helper.js
index b44944b4ff..27434f79ea 100644
--- a/src/ol/webgl/Helper.js
+++ b/src/ol/webgl/Helper.js
@@ -266,18 +266,6 @@ class WebGLHelper extends Disposable {
      */
     this.bufferCache_ = {};
 
-    /**
-     * @private
-     * @type {!Array<WebGLShader>}
-     */
-    this.shaderCache_ = [];
-
-    /**
-     * @private
-     * @type {!Array<WebGLProgram>}
-     */
-    this.programCache_ = [];
-
     /**
      * @private
      * @type {WebGLProgram}
@@ -419,18 +407,6 @@ class WebGLHelper extends Disposable {
   disposeInternal() {
     this.canvas_.removeEventListener(ContextEventType.LOST, this.boundHandleWebGLContextLost_);
     this.canvas_.removeEventListener(ContextEventType.RESTORED, this.boundHandleWebGLContextRestored_);
-    const gl = this.getGL();
-    if (!gl.isContextLost()) {
-      for (const key in this.bufferCache_) {
-        gl.deleteBuffer(this.bufferCache_[key].buffer);
-      }
-      for (const key in this.programCache_) {
-        gl.deleteProgram(this.programCache_[key]);
-      }
-      for (const key in this.shaderCache_) {
-        gl.deleteShader(this.shaderCache_[key]);
-      }
-    }
   }
 
   /**
@@ -652,7 +628,6 @@ class WebGLHelper extends Disposable {
     const shader = gl.createShader(type);
     gl.shaderSource(shader, source);
     gl.compileShader(shader);
-    this.shaderCache_.push(shader);
     return shader;
   }
 
@@ -684,7 +659,6 @@ class WebGLHelper extends Disposable {
     gl.attachShader(program, fragmentShader);
     gl.attachShader(program, vertexShader);
     gl.linkProgram(program);
-    this.programCache_.push(program);
     return program;
   }
 
@@ -811,8 +785,6 @@ class WebGLHelper extends Disposable {
    */
   handleWebGLContextLost() {
     clear(this.bufferCache_);
-    clear(this.shaderCache_);
-    clear(this.programCache_);
     this.currentProgram_ = null;
   }
 
@@ -823,8 +795,6 @@ class WebGLHelper extends Disposable {
   handleWebGLContextRestored() {
   }
 
-  // TODO: shutdown program
-
   /**
    * Will create or reuse a given webgl texture and apply the given size. If no image data
    * specified, the texture will be empty, otherwise image data will be used and the `size`