The embodiments relate to a computer system, computer program product and method for managing a garbage collection process. Processing control is obtained based on execution of a load instruction and a determination that an object pointer to be loaded indicates a location within a selected portion of memory undergoing a garbage collection process. The determination includes identifying a base address and size of a first memory block subject to the garbage collection, subdividing the first memory block into sections, assigning a binary value to each section, and determining if the first memory block corresponds to the enabled section. An image of the load instruction is obtained and a pointer address is calculated from the image. The object pointer is read and it is determined whether the object pointer is to be modified. The object pointer is modified and stored in a selected location.