diff --git a/utils/zerovec/src/map/kv.rs b/utils/zerovec/src/map/kv.rs
index d0992619db2..1b642d30963 100644
--- a/utils/zerovec/src/map/kv.rs
+++ b/utils/zerovec/src/map/kv.rs
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ impl<'a> ZeroMapKV<'a> for str {
 
     #[inline]
     fn owned_as_self(o: &Self::OwnedType) -> &Self {
-        &o
+        o
     }
 }
 
@@ -150,6 +150,6 @@ impl<'a> ZeroMapKV<'a> for [u8] {
 
     #[inline]
     fn owned_as_self(o: &Self::OwnedType) -> &Self {
-        &o
+        o
     }
 }
diff --git a/utils/zerovec/src/map/serde.rs b/utils/zerovec/src/map/serde.rs
index a4867151771..18ed4a6f2a1 100644
--- a/utils/zerovec/src/map/serde.rs
+++ b/utils/zerovec/src/map/serde.rs
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ where
 
 /// Modified example from https://serde.rs/deserialize-map.html
 struct ZeroMapMapVisitor<K: ?Sized, V: ?Sized> {
+    #[allow(clippy::type_complexity)] // it's a marker type, complexity doesn't matter
     marker: PhantomData<fn() -> (Box<K>, Box<V>)>,
 }
 
diff --git a/utils/zerovec/src/varzerovec/owned.rs b/utils/zerovec/src/varzerovec/owned.rs
index 02b51b099de..14131666c0e 100644
--- a/utils/zerovec/src/varzerovec/owned.rs
+++ b/utils/zerovec/src/varzerovec/owned.rs
@@ -325,21 +325,21 @@ mod test {
             "five".into(),
         ];
         let mut zerovec: VarZeroVecOwned<str> = VarZeroVecOwned::from_elements(&items);
-        zerovec.insert(1, &"foo3");
+        zerovec.insert(1, "foo3");
         items.insert(1, "foo3".into());
         assert_eq!(zerovec, &*items);
 
         items.insert(0, "1234567890".into());
-        zerovec.insert(0, &"1234567890");
+        zerovec.insert(0, "1234567890");
         assert_eq!(zerovec, &*items);
 
         // make sure inserting at the end works
         items.insert(items.len(), "qwertyuiop".into());
-        zerovec.insert(zerovec.len(), &"qwertyuiop");
+        zerovec.insert(zerovec.len(), "qwertyuiop");
         assert_eq!(zerovec, &*items);
 
         items.insert(0, "asdfghjkl;".into());
-        zerovec.insert(0, &"asdfghjkl;");
+        zerovec.insert(0, "asdfghjkl;");
         assert_eq!(zerovec, &*items);
     }
 }