diff --git a/benches/isolated_buffering.rs b/benches/isolated_buffering.rs
index 4b39fe91cf4bd..fb8503c2cd626 100644
--- a/benches/isolated_buffering.rs
+++ b/benches/isolated_buffering.rs
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ use criterion::{criterion_group, BatchSize, Criterion, SamplingMode, Throughput}
 use futures::{
     compat::{Future01CompatExt, Stream01CompatExt},
     stream::BoxStream,
-    StreamExt,
+    SinkExt, StreamExt,
 };
 use futures01::{stream, Sink, Stream};
 use tempfile::tempdir;
@@ -70,6 +70,32 @@ fn benchmark_buffers(c: &mut Criterion) {
         );
     });
 
+    group.bench_function("channels/futures", |b| {
+        b.iter_batched(
+            || {
+                let rt = runtime();
+
+                let (writer, mut reader) = futures::channel::mpsc::channel(100);
+
+                let read_handle = rt.spawn(async move { while reader.next().await.is_some() {} });
+
+                (rt, writer, read_handle)
+            },
+            |(mut rt, mut writer, read_handle)| {
+                let write_handle = rt.spawn(async move {
+                    let mut stream = random_events(line_size).take(num_lines as u64).compat();
+                    while let Some(e) = stream.next().await {
+                        writer.send(e).await.unwrap();
+                    }
+                });
+
+                rt.block_on(write_handle).unwrap();
+                rt.block_on(read_handle).unwrap();
+            },
+            BatchSize::SmallInput,
+        );
+    });
+
     group.bench_function("channels/tokio", |b| {
         b.iter_batched(
             || {
diff --git a/src/buffers/mod.rs b/src/buffers/mod.rs
index d9b75428a80df..f46ae7744f0f9 100644
--- a/src/buffers/mod.rs
+++ b/src/buffers/mod.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
-use crate::{config::Resource, sink::BoundedSink, Event};
+use crate::{config::Resource, Event};
 #[cfg(feature = "leveldb")]
 use futures::compat::{Sink01CompatExt, Stream01CompatExt};
-use futures::{Sink, Stream};
+use futures::{channel::mpsc, Sink, SinkExt, Stream};
 use futures01::task::AtomicTask;
 use pin_project::pin_project;
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ use std::{
 };
 #[cfg(feature = "leveldb")]
 use tokio::stream::StreamExt;
-use tokio::sync::mpsc;
 
 #[cfg(feature = "leveldb")]
 pub mod disk;
@@ -72,7 +71,9 @@ impl BufferInputCloner {
     pub fn get(&self) -> Box<dyn Sink<Event, Error = ()> + Send> {
         match self {
             BufferInputCloner::Memory(tx, when_full) => {
-                let inner = BoundedSink::new(tx.clone());
+                let inner = tx
+                    .clone()
+                    .sink_map_err(|error| error!(message = "Sender error.", %error));
                 if when_full == &WhenFull::DropNewest {
                     Box::new(DropWhenFull::new(inner))
                 } else {
diff --git a/src/topology/builder.rs b/src/topology/builder.rs
index 4db16f7f57e9a..4b260c9ad4155 100644
--- a/src/topology/builder.rs
+++ b/src/topology/builder.rs
@@ -19,10 +19,7 @@ use std::{
     sync::{Arc, Mutex},
 };
 use stream_cancel::{StreamExt as StreamCancelExt, Trigger, Tripwire};
-use tokio::{
-    sync::mpsc,
-    time::{timeout, Duration},
-};
+use tokio::time::{timeout, Duration};
 
 pub struct Pieces {
     pub inputs: HashMap<String, (buffers::BufferInputCloner, Vec<String>)>,
@@ -56,7 +53,7 @@ pub async fn build_pieces(
         .iter()
         .filter(|(name, _)| diff.sources.contains_new(&name))
     {
-        let (tx, rx) = mpsc::channel(1000);
+        let (tx, rx) = tokio::sync::mpsc::channel(1000);
         let pipeline = Pipeline::from_sender(tx, vec![]);
 
         let typetag = source.source_type();
@@ -115,7 +112,7 @@ pub async fn build_pieces(
             Ok(transform) => transform,
         };
 
-        let (input_tx, input_rx) = mpsc::channel(100);
+        let (input_tx, input_rx) = futures::channel::mpsc::channel(100);
         let input_tx = buffers::BufferInputCloner::Memory(input_tx, buffers::WhenFull::Block);
 
         let (output, control) = Fanout::new();
diff --git a/src/transforms/util/runtime_transform.rs b/src/transforms/util/runtime_transform.rs
index d5be5f9cf5ba0..442cb0eccbd74 100644
--- a/src/transforms/util/runtime_transform.rs
+++ b/src/transforms/util/runtime_transform.rs
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ where
         Box::pin(
             input_rx
                 .map(Message::Process)
+                .fuse()
                 .into_future()
                 .map(move |(first, rest)| {
                     // The first message is always `Message::Init`.