diff --git a/doc/api/api_changes/2017-06-03-ES_unique_renderer.rst b/doc/api/api_changes/2017-06-03-ES_unique_renderer.rst
deleted file mode 100644
index 3dd58e0a16f3..000000000000
--- a/doc/api/api_changes/2017-06-03-ES_unique_renderer.rst
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,11 +0,0 @@
-Unique identifier added to `RendererBase` classes
-`````````````````````````````````````````````````
-
-Since ``id()`` is not guaranteed to be unique between objects that exist at
-different times, a new private property ``_uid`` has been added to
-`RendererBase` which is used along with the renderer's ``id()`` to cache
-certain expensive operations.
-
-If a custom renderer does not subclass `RendererBase` or `MixedModeRenderer`,
-it is not required to implement this ``_uid`` property, but this may produce
-incorrect behavior when the renderers' ``id()`` clashes.
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/backend_bases.py b/lib/matplotlib/backend_bases.py
index 98aca9251d4c..de8325e382fc 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/backend_bases.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/backend_bases.py
@@ -42,7 +42,6 @@
 from functools import partial
 import importlib
 import io
-import itertools
 import os
 import sys
 import time
@@ -101,12 +100,6 @@
 }
 
 
-# Used to ensure that caching based on renderer id() is unique without being as
-# expensive as a real UUID. 0 is used for renderers that don't derive from
-# here, so start at 1.
-_unique_renderer_id = itertools.count(1)
-
-
 def register_backend(format, backend, description=None):
     """
     Register a backend for saving to a given file format.
@@ -277,12 +270,7 @@ class RendererBase(object):
 
     """
     def __init__(self):
-        # A lightweight id for unique-ification purposes. Along with id(self),
-        # the combination should be unique enough to use as part of a cache key.
-        self._uid = next(_unique_renderer_id)
-
         self._texmanager = None
-
         self._text2path = textpath.TextToPath()
 
     def open_group(self, s, gid=None):
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_mixed.py b/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_mixed.py
index a93ef062f279..40d7fd64398c 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_mixed.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_mixed.py
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 
 import six
 
-import matplotlib.backend_bases
 from matplotlib.backends.backend_agg import RendererAgg
 from matplotlib.tight_bbox import process_figure_for_rasterizing
 
@@ -50,9 +49,6 @@ def __init__(self, figure, width, height, dpi, vector_renderer,
         if raster_renderer_class is None:
             raster_renderer_class = RendererAgg
 
-        # See matplotlib.backend_bases.RendererBase._uid.
-        self._uid = next(matplotlib.backend_bases._unique_renderer_id)
-
         self._raster_renderer_class = raster_renderer_class
         self._width = width
         self._height = height
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/text.py b/lib/matplotlib/text.py
index caa5dcdaf73f..b65e9f5bd228 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/text.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/text.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 
 import math
 import warnings
+import weakref
 
 import contextlib
 
@@ -180,7 +181,6 @@ class Text(Artist):
     Handle storing and drawing of text in window or data coordinates.
     """
     zorder = 3
-
     _cached = maxdict(50)
 
     def __repr__(self):
@@ -912,7 +912,7 @@ def get_prop_tup(self, renderer=None):
                 self._verticalalignment, self._horizontalalignment,
                 hash(self._fontproperties),
                 self._rotation, self._rotation_mode,
-                self.figure.dpi, id(renderer), getattr(renderer, '_uid', 0),
+                self.figure.dpi, weakref.ref(renderer),
                 self._linespacing
                 )