diff --git a/clutter/cogl/cogl/cogl-buffer.c b/clutter/cogl/cogl/cogl-buffer.c
index a63e171f9..35234d9af 100644
--- a/clutter/cogl/cogl/cogl-buffer.c
+++ b/clutter/cogl/cogl/cogl-buffer.c
@@ -299,8 +299,15 @@ _cogl_buffer_initialize (CoglBuffer           *buffer,
 void
 _cogl_buffer_fini (CoglBuffer *buffer)
 {
+  _COGL_GET_CONTEXT (ctx, NO_RETVAL);
+
   g_return_if_fail (!(buffer->flags & COGL_BUFFER_FLAG_MAPPED));
   g_return_if_fail (buffer->immutable_ref == 0);
+
+  if (buffer->flags & COGL_BUFFER_FLAG_BUFFER_OBJECT)
+    GE( glDeleteBuffers (1, &buffer->gl_handle) );
+  else
+    g_free (buffer->data);
 }
 
 /* OpenGL ES 1.1 and 2 have a GL_OES_mapbuffer extension that is able to map
diff --git a/clutter/cogl/cogl/cogl-pixel-array.c b/clutter/cogl/cogl/cogl-pixel-array.c
index 3f5e10a18..1ac9b08a8 100644
--- a/clutter/cogl/cogl/cogl-pixel-array.c
+++ b/clutter/cogl/cogl/cogl-pixel-array.c
@@ -147,8 +147,6 @@ _cogl_pixel_array_free (CoglPixelArray *buffer)
   /* parent's destructor */
   _cogl_buffer_fini (COGL_BUFFER (buffer));
 
-  GE( glDeleteBuffers (1, &(COGL_BUFFER (buffer)->gl_handle)) );
-
   g_slice_free (CoglPixelArray, buffer);
 }