diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 1ccccc79370..56db5628ba6 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -57,6 +57,8 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
   ([#4458](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-python/pull/4458))
 - pylint-ci updated python version to 3.13
   ([#4450](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-python/pull/4450))
+- Fix memory leak in Log & Trace exporter
+  ([#4449](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-python/pull/4449))
 
 ## Version 1.30.0/0.51b0 (2025-02-03)
 
diff --git a/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/_logs/_internal/export/__init__.py b/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/_logs/_internal/export/__init__.py
index 434dc745ccf..a4eb113c89b 100644
--- a/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/_logs/_internal/export/__init__.py
+++ b/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/_logs/_internal/export/__init__.py
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 import os
 import sys
 import threading
+import weakref
 from os import environ, linesep
 from time import time_ns
 from typing import IO, Callable, Deque, List, Optional, Sequence
@@ -216,7 +217,8 @@ def __init__(
         self._log_records = [None] * self._max_export_batch_size
         self._worker_thread.start()
         if hasattr(os, "register_at_fork"):
-            os.register_at_fork(after_in_child=self._at_fork_reinit)  # pylint: disable=protected-access
+            weak_reinit = weakref.WeakMethod(self._at_fork_reinit)
+            os.register_at_fork(after_in_child=lambda: weak_reinit()())  # pylint: disable=unnecessary-lambda
         self._pid = os.getpid()
 
     def _at_fork_reinit(self):
diff --git a/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/metrics/_internal/export/__init__.py b/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/metrics/_internal/export/__init__.py
index 52c683343a5..2cb587f2f65 100644
--- a/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/metrics/_internal/export/__init__.py
+++ b/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/metrics/_internal/export/__init__.py
@@ -501,7 +501,7 @@ def __init__(
                 weak_at_fork = weakref.WeakMethod(self._at_fork_reinit)
 
                 os.register_at_fork(
-                    after_in_child=lambda: weak_at_fork()()  # pylint: disable=unnecessary-lambda, protected-access
+                    after_in_child=lambda: weak_at_fork()()  # pylint: disable=unnecessary-lambda
                 )
         elif self._export_interval_millis <= 0:
             raise ValueError(
diff --git a/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/trace/export/__init__.py b/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/trace/export/__init__.py
index 47d1769a418..9e60d6cff9b 100644
--- a/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/trace/export/__init__.py
+++ b/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/trace/export/__init__.py
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 import sys
 import threading
 import typing
+import weakref
 from enum import Enum
 from os import environ, linesep
 from time import time_ns
@@ -200,7 +201,8 @@ def __init__(
         self.spans_list = [None] * self.max_export_batch_size  # type: typing.List[typing.Optional[Span]]
         self.worker_thread.start()
         if hasattr(os, "register_at_fork"):
-            os.register_at_fork(after_in_child=self._at_fork_reinit)  # pylint: disable=protected-access
+            weak_reinit = weakref.WeakMethod(self._at_fork_reinit)
+            os.register_at_fork(after_in_child=lambda: weak_reinit()())  # pylint: disable=unnecessary-lambda
         self._pid = os.getpid()
 
     def on_start(
diff --git a/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/logs/test_export.py b/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/logs/test_export.py
index 2e00bad6538..b9ec0ac2e7f 100644
--- a/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/logs/test_export.py
+++ b/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/logs/test_export.py
@@ -13,11 +13,13 @@
 # limitations under the License.
 
 # pylint: disable=protected-access
+import gc
 import logging
 import multiprocessing
 import os
 import time
 import unittest
+import weakref
 from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
 from unittest.mock import Mock, patch
 
@@ -619,6 +621,23 @@ def _target():
 
         log_record_processor.shutdown()
 
+    def test_batch_log_record_processor_gc(self):
+        # Given a BatchLogRecordProcessor
+        exporter = InMemoryLogExporter()
+        processor = BatchLogRecordProcessor(exporter)
+        weak_ref = weakref.ref(processor)
+        processor.shutdown()
+
+        # When the processor is garbage collected
+        del processor
+        gc.collect()
+
+        # Then the reference to the processor should no longer exist
+        self.assertIsNone(
+            weak_ref(),
+            "The BatchLogRecordProcessor object created by this test wasn't garbage collected",
+        )
+
 
 class TestConsoleLogExporter(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_export(self):  # pylint: disable=no-self-use
diff --git a/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/metrics/test_periodic_exporting_metric_reader.py b/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/metrics/test_periodic_exporting_metric_reader.py
index 3cbc3c9fe60..8aa89e72910 100644
--- a/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/metrics/test_periodic_exporting_metric_reader.py
+++ b/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/metrics/test_periodic_exporting_metric_reader.py
@@ -14,7 +14,9 @@
 
 # pylint: disable=protected-access,invalid-name,no-self-use
 
+import gc
 import math
+import weakref
 from logging import WARNING
 from time import sleep, time_ns
 from typing import Optional, Sequence
@@ -257,3 +259,24 @@ def test_metric_timeout_does_not_kill_worker_thread(self):
         sleep(0.1)
         self.assertTrue(pmr._daemon_thread.is_alive())
         pmr.shutdown()
+
+    def test_metric_exporer_gc(self):
+        # Given a PeriodicExportingMetricReader
+        exporter = FakeMetricsExporter(
+            preferred_aggregation={
+                Counter: LastValueAggregation(),
+            },
+        )
+        processor = PeriodicExportingMetricReader(exporter)
+        weak_ref = weakref.ref(processor)
+        processor.shutdown()
+
+        # When we garbage collect the reader
+        del processor
+        gc.collect()
+
+        # Then the reference to the reader should no longer exist
+        self.assertIsNone(
+            weak_ref(),
+            "The PeriodicExportingMetricReader object created by this test wasn't garbage collected",
+        )
diff --git a/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/trace/export/test_export.py b/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/trace/export/test_export.py
index aa94a514cad..a6d9c36875b 100644
--- a/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/trace/export/test_export.py
+++ b/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/trace/export/test_export.py
@@ -12,11 +12,13 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 
+import gc
 import multiprocessing
 import os
 import threading
 import time
 import unittest
+import weakref
 from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
 from logging import WARNING
 from platform import python_implementation, system
@@ -585,6 +587,23 @@ def test_batch_span_processor_parameters(self):
             max_export_batch_size=512,
         )
 
+    def test_batch_span_processor_gc(self):
+        # Given a BatchSpanProcessor
+        exporter = MySpanExporter(destination=[])
+        processor = export.BatchSpanProcessor(exporter)
+        weak_ref = weakref.ref(processor)
+        processor.shutdown()
+
+        # When the processor is garbage collected
+        del processor
+        gc.collect()
+
+        # Then the reference to the processor should no longer exist
+        self.assertIsNone(
+            weak_ref(),
+            "The BatchSpanProcessor object created by this test wasn't garbage collected",
+        )
+
 
 class TestConsoleSpanExporter(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_export(self):  # pylint: disable=no-self-use